Ghana has marked the ‘World Cancer Day’ with a call to all stakeholders to unite their efforts to fight the growing cases of the disease in the country.
The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, said it was incumbent on stakeholders to come together to deal with the disturbing trend.
More should be done to create the needed public awareness to aid everbody to report early to the hospital any symptoms of the disease.
According to the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), the country records approximately 3,000 new cases of cervical cancer each year with a corresponding mortality rate of about two thousand.
The cancer registry centres, nationwide, have also been recording high cases of the disease – breast, liver and prostate cancers, as well as leukemia in children.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo, speaking on the theme: “I Am, and I Will”, applauded the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the largest global organization campaigning against cancer, for teaming up with health authorities to promote preventable measures.
Cancer in whatever form, she noted, was deadly, and expressed deep worry about the increasing rate at which Ghanaians were getting the disease, especially the productive workforce.
“Most of the patients who die as a result of the disease are between the ages of 30 and 55.
“This is not acceptable, and we need as a nation to work assiduously in finding a remedy to the situation.”
The President of the UICC, Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, said cancer treatment was costly, and for that reason, it was imperative that the people sought early treatment when diagnosed with the disease.
She gave that assurance that Kumasi, given its strong commitment to fighting the disease, was going to be supported by the UICC.
“Cancer prevention and treatment is about team work. We, therefore, need all hands on board to make a head way.”
Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, spoke of the government’s resolve to equip health facilities with the requisite resources to deal effectively with the cancers.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Osei Assibey-Antwi, who was instrumental in securing the ‘Kumasi City Cancer Project’, said the Metropolitan Assembly had been partnering health authorities to create awareness about the disease.
