Tema, May 23, GNA – Dr. Chris Kpodar, former United Nations Consultant for Africa and the Middle East, says Ghana needs a multi-faceted strategy to address the various aspects of cervical cancer, from prevention to treatment and support.
He said cervical cancer remained a significant public health concern in Ghana, and to tackle it the government must adopt a holistic national approach to combat it.
Dr. Kpodar, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult), emphasised during a media interaction in Tema.
He said there was a need for increased awareness, screening, and vaccination programmes, as well as improved access to healthcare services, particularly in rural areas.
He, however, commended the Ghana Health Service and other health professionals, as well as other cervical cancer advocates, but noted the importance of a comprehensive approach in implementing measures such as free cervical screening and vaccination programmes for eligible women.
“As a nation, we need to do more to address the stigma surrounding cervical cancer and ensure equal access to healthcare for all women,” he said.
Dr. Kpodar, who is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Solomon Investments Ghana Limited, urged the government to prioritize cervical cancer prevention and control, recognizing that a concerted effort could save countless lives and improve the health and well-being of Ghanaian women.
He, therefore, lauded CDA Consult’s advocacy, which he described as vital in raising awareness. “We need to work together to dispel myths and misconceptions about cervical cancer and ensure that every woman has access to life-saving services.”
Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Executive Director of CDA Consult, emphasised the importance of a comprehensive and unwavering national strategy to combat and eradicate cervical cancer in the nation.
With a multimodal stakeholder strategy that includes legislative initiatives, public education, health professional empowerment, and targeted activities to urge women to undergo cervical cancer screening, he pointed out that cervical cancer is avoidable.
According to Mr. Ameyibor, CDA Consult, a non-governmental organisation that advocates development communication, had started a comprehensive campaign to shift the paradigm around cervical cancer advocacy.
The four main pillars of the CDA Consult Change Paradigm campaign are providing free cervical cancer vaccinations, increasing preventative efforts, promoting early detection screenings, and providing treatment assistance to eradicate cervical cancer in Ghana by 2030.
He disclosed that the findings of earlier research suggested that Ghanaians’ ignorance of cervical cancer could be a deterrent to cervical cancer screening.
He emphasised, saying, “This is part of the reason CDA Consult launched an advocacy campaign to assist increase awareness of cervical cancer, promote preventive measures, and provide support to those who are currently impacted by the disease.
Additionally, Mr. Ameyibor clarified that CDA Consult has brought together human rights advocates, gender activists, health professionals, religious believers, and communication practitioners to launch a new paradigm in advocacy by combining proactive advocacy abilities with robust communication networks.
While he acknowledged that there had been progress in raising awareness of cervical cancer, he says that “we need to upscale our efforts through a holistic national action involving both state and non-state actors as we approach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal threshold for ending cervical cancer.”
According to Mr. Ameyibor, the project outlining the procedures for the Change Paradigm Advocacy campaign, which aims to eradicate cervical cancer in Ghana, will begin by the end of the second quarter of this year.
This include advocacy, free cervical cancer vaccinations, and scaling up prevention, detection, and treatment.
GNA