By Muniratu Akweley Issah, GNA
Accra, May 24, GNA – World Child Cancer in partnership with Amgen has donated 1,510 vails of rituximab worth over Ghc7 million to the Ghana Health Service towards the treatment of childhood cancers nationwide.
Rituximab injection is either used solely or together with other medicines to treat Burkitt Lymphoma, one of the four Childhood cancers, enrolled on the National Health Insurance.
Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma. The disease is associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and chromosomal translocations that cause the overexpression of oncogene c-myc.
Ms Juliet Boateng, the Project Coordinator of World Child Cancer Ghana, handing over the shipment document on behalf of the Country Coordinator, said the gesture was to ensure the availability of the medications nationwide.
Ms Boateng appreciated the GHS for the support given to the World Child Cancer since its inception in the country in 2010.
She said as part of the collaboration, the WCC was offering scholarships to childhood cancer survivors and urged them to apply to benefit from the package.
“Pick up forms from our office and apply to be sponsored through basic education, Senior high level, apprenticeship programmes and even to the tertiary level.
If you are a child and have survived childhood cancer you deserve all the support you can get so apply to benefit.” Ms Boateng added.
He assured that together with Amgen, WCC was willing to support the country more with what it needs in the treatment of other childhood cancers.
Dr Anthony Adofo, the Deputy Director General, Ghana Health Service, expressing his appreciation, said the donation was timely, as it would complement Ghana’s commitment to the availability of childhood cancer medication across all treatment and shared-care centres.
He said donations went beyond physical relief as it communicated psychosocial support to families and children diagnosed with cancer.
Dr Adofo said Ghana’s sixth national population census found that 35.3 per cent of the over 30 million Ghanaians counted were children (Ghana Statistical Service 2021).
“Even though we understand that a population with more children has many potential benefits, you would also agree that having more children implies an increased need for resources to cater for their health and well-being.
The healthcare cost associated with the annual expected cases of 1200 new childhood cancer cases alone is huge and we truly need all the help we can get,” he added.
GNA