Accra, Feb. 03, GNA – Mr Alhassan Kobina Ghansah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, has advocated increased funding for cancer research and prevention.
In a statement on the floor of Parliament on Thursday to mark the World Cancer Day, which falls on Friday, February 04, Mr Ghansah underscored the importance of cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
World Cancer Day is an international day marked annually to raise awareness of cancer and encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.
“Mr Speaker, cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide and statistically accounted for nearly 10 million deaths in the year 2020 alone,” Mr Ghansah said.
“An estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases, resulting in nearly 18.1 million infections, excluding skin cancer, had been diagnosed with female breast cancer surpassing lung cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer, approximately 2.3 million cases yearly,” he said.
The 2022 World Cancer Day marks the first year of a new three-year campaign, dubbed: “Close the Care Gap”, which centered on equity and recognises the power of knowledge and challenges that dealt with the global cancer epidemic.
Mr Ghansah mentioned the most popular cancers such as breast cancer, which forms 15 per cent of all cancers and 40 per cent of female cancers, and cervical cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and death among females in Ghana and other developing countries.
He gave examples of other cancers to include prostate cancer (more common in men between 41 and 60 years), head/neck cancer (cancerous tumors that can appear in or around the throat, larynx (voice box), nose, sinuses, and mouth) and childhood cancer -neoplastic disorders affecting individuals aged less than 14 years who constitute approximately 40 per cent of the population of Ghana.
Mr Ghansah said the Cancer Society of Ghana had pledged its preparedness to work with other stakeholders to improve the quality of cancer data for public health use, increase access to early detection and accurate cancer diagnosis as stated in its 2021 Report.
“Mr Speaker, let us all assist the relevant agencies and industry players to outline the importance of early cancer detection to improve patient survival rates in the country as a way to curb high rising cases, especially when UICC has a deep connection with Ghana, working alongside many of the country’s top cancer and grassroots organisations,” he said.
In Ghana, as in most developing countries, the burden of non-communicable diseases was increasing rapidly whilst infectious diseases continued to pose major challenges to the society, Mr Ghansah said.
He called for public education, which would also seek to increase awareness on the early warning signs and symptoms including lumps, sores that fail to heal, abnormal bleeding, and persistent indigestion.
He said national or regional screening of asymptomatic and apparently healthy individuals must be enforced to detect the early stage of cancer and arrange referrals.
Madam Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, the MP for Techiman North, said there was the need to invest more in the prevention and early detection of cancer, since it had been statistically proven to reduce patient’s mortality.
Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, the Abuakwa South MP, who commended Mr Ghansah for the thought-provoking statement, urged researchers to intensify their efforts to find a lasting cure for cancer.
GNA