By Victoria Agyemang
Dunkwa-on-Offin(C/R) Oct 28, GNA – More than 230 market women at Dwakesiem in Dankwah-on-Offin in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality of the Central Region have benefited from free breast cancer screening and blood pressure (BP) checks.
The exercise was organised by the Eno Benewaa Foundation in collaboration with the Upper Denkyira East Municipal Health Directorate.
The initiative, led by the Foundation’s founder, popularly known as Eno Benewaa, Peace FM’s Central Region correspondent in Dunkwa-on-Offin and a presenter at Sparks FM, forms part of efforts to promote preventive healthcare and improve access to essential health services among women in the Municipality.
Eno Benewaa said market women were targeted because many of them do not regularly visit health facilities for routine medical check-ups, partly due to their demanding trading schedules and other responsibilities.
She explained that bringing the screening services directly to the market was intended to make healthcare more accessible and encourage women to prioritise their health while going about their daily activities.
She called on government agencies, health professionals, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to intensify breast cancer education, particularly in rural communities to ensure that more women were reached with information on early detection and the importance of regular screening.
Nana Yaa Konadu, a retired midwife and Oforikromhemaa, urged market women in Dunkwa-on-Offin and other parts of the country to prioritise their health and seek regular medical check-ups.
She cautioned the women against allowing their trading activities and family responsibilities to prevent them from seeking timely medical attention, stressing the importance of early detection in the management of breast cancer.
Nana Yaa Konadu encouraged women to seek prompt medical assessment whenever they noticed unusual changes in their breasts and advised them not to delay visiting a health facility.
She also urged the beneficiaries to share information about breast cancer with their colleagues, relatives and other members of their communities to promote greater awareness and encourage more women to participate in screening programmes.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to the Eno Benewaa Foundation and the Upper Denkyira East Municipal Health Directorate for bringing the screening exercise directly to them.
They said the initiative provided an opportunity to access breast cancer screening and blood pressure checks without having to leave their trading activities for extended periods.
The market women commended the organisers for the intervention and called for similar initiatives to be sustained and extended to other communities within the Municipality.
The exercise underscores the importance of community-based health interventions in promoting preventive healthcare, improving access to screening services and raising awareness of breast cancer and high blood pressure among market women and other underserved groups.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Benjamin Mensah