Accra Nov 12, GNA – Children with cancers are appealing to government to enroll their cost of treatment onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to make access to healthcare easy and feasible for them.
Rihanna, a nine-year old girl made the appeal on behalf of other children at a ceremony held for the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo to commission a hostel for children with cancer at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The 54-bed capacity hostel named: “Rebecca Akufo-Addo/GHAPACC Sunshine House” was to resolve the transportation and accommodation problems faced by guardians and children with cancers.
He said the appeal had become necessary as the cost of treatment for cancer was unbearable and sometimes forced parents to neglect their treatment.
“I am also a child with cancer and I have been admitted twice at the Oncology Department here in Korle Bu. Our parents struggle hard, but are unable to cater for our treatments and many of children’s lives are in danger.
“I plead with government and the First Lady to help us so that very soon, our dream to have our treatment enrolled onto the NHIS comes true,” she said.
Dr. Felix Kwame Aveh, President of the Ghana Parents Association for Childhood Cancers (GHAPACC), explained that one of the immediate needs of GHAPACC and children with cancers were to have childhood cancer drugs on the NHIS.
This, he said, would aside saving lives of the children, alleviate the problems they faced with parents abandoning their treatment, thereby increasing their loss of lives.
He also appealed to the Rebecca Foundation to support the hostel financially and materially with housekeeping, upkeep of housekeepers, utility cost, feeding cost of parents and children, and security to keep the facility running.
GHAPACC is an association of parents of children diagnosed with cancers and other life threatening blood disorders; health professionals involved in caring for such children; and survivors of childhood cancers. The association was formed in August 2008 and inaugurated in February 2009.
GNA