A paediatric surgeon and President of the Accra College of Medicine, Professor Afua Hesse, says if women are not properly educated to understand how deadly cervical cancer is, its death rate will continue to be high.
Speaking on Radio Ghana’s programme, “Ghana Today,” Professor Afua Hesse said gone are the days when cervical cancer was seen to be an ailment among the old but now cancer prevalence among younger women is increasing.
She noted that, cancer if not reported on time can be harmful and deadly.
Professor Afua Hesse therefore stressed on the need for women to make periodic medical checkup a priority. She hinted that early detection of cervical cancer and screening can help save the lives of many women.
For her part, the proprietress of Aristoland Montessori, Madam Mitsi Zormelo said that cervical cancer was a leading cause of cancer related morbidity and therefore appealed to women to be concerned with their health.
She called on women to get themselves tested and seek proper treatment when diagnosed with cervical cancer.
World Health Organization (WHO) statistics show that cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women with an estimated 570,000 new cases in 2018 representing 6.6% of all female cancers.
Approximately 90% of deaths from cervical cancer occurred in low and middle income countries.
The high mortality rate from cervical cancer globally could be reduced through a comprehensive approach that includes prevention, early diagnosis, effective screening and treatment programmes.
STORY BY MAAME OWUSUAA.
