By Yussif Ibrahim
Obuasi (Ash), Oct 31, GNA – Underground Mining Alliance (UMA), a contractor of AngloGold Ashanti operating at Obuasi, has organised breast and prostate cancer screening for members of the Ghana Tailors and Dressmakers Association (GTDA) at Obuasi.
Over 500 members of the Association participated in the exercise, which commemorated the 2024 Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Health professionals from AngloGold Ashanti Health Foundation were on hand to screen and counsel participants on prevention and screening, and treatment of the deadly diseases.
Observed annually throughout October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month encourages the public to routinely go for screening to ensure detection at treatable stage before it becomes fatal.
The global theme for 2024 Breast Cancer Awareness Month is, “No One Should Face Breast Cancer Alone.”
Mr. Phillipe Pearse, Project Manager of UMA, said the company decided to involve dressmakers and tailors because of the wide range of people they interact with in their operations.
“We were deliberate on choosing members of the GTDA for the education because we want them to extend the education to their clients who they meet on regular basis.
We believe once the education gets down, a lot of misconceptions surrounding breast cancer, especially will be cured and encourage people to opt for screening for early detection,” he said.
He mentioned that his outfit viewed such education and screening exercises as useful ways of giving back to the communities in which they operated.
Recounting his experiences, Mr. Pearse said his parents survived both breast and prostate cancer because of early detection, indicating that, “This is the more reason why we decided to organise this sensitisation and free screening programme.”
Mr. Lawrence Turkson, the National Project Manager of UMA, reiterated the importance of screening to ensure early detection which was critical to successful treatment.
He said the company would continue to give back to the community in fulfillment of its corporate social responsibility.
Madam Bernadette Serwaah Osei Kuffour, a Senior Medical Officer of AngloGold Ashanti Health Foundation, said though a lot of strides had been made in the fight against breast and prostate cancer over the years, lack of awareness creation had been key in hampering the fight.
She said lack of adequate information about the diseases had given way for a lot of misconceptions to fester.
“We have not been hugely successful in this fight because of insufficient awareness creation.
Most people read a lot of meanings to breast and prostate cancer hence they resort to other means aside medical procedures to treat the diseases,” she lamented.
She lauded Underground Mining Alliance for leading the conversation around the diseases and was optimistic that education would go a long way to encourage people to opt for early detection.
Madam Irene Aba Austin, Chairperson of Zone Three of the Obuasi Chapter of GTDA commended the company for the gesture.
She said the nature of their job made it difficult for them to go through routine breast cancer screening but advised their members to get screened when the opportunity presents itself.
GNA