The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has reiterated the call on women to seek early treatment for breast cancer.
Dr. Afisah Zakaria, the Chief Director of the Ministry, said breast cancer treatment was now supported by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) with subsidy for mammography for all women aged 40 years and above and encouraged them to have their breasts examined regularly.“The Ministry, therefore, encourages all women to take advantage of this package to have their breast examined,” she stated.
Dr Zakaria made the call, when the Ministry organised free breast cancer awareness talk and screening for its staff.
She indicated that globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that about 2.26 million new cases of breast cancer and 685,000 deaths were recorded in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
A report by the Global Cancer Observatory also recorded that in Ghana, 4,482 representing 18.7 per cent of women had breast cancer in the year 2020, she noted.
Dr Zakaria said though the figures were alarming, there was evidence that the disease was curable if detected early and appropriate treatment instituted.
She urged men to encourage women to take necessary steps to lower their risk of developing breast cancer and detect it early, for effective treatment.
Mrs Doris Agyei, Deputy Director, Nursing Services, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge, urged women to live healthy lifestyle to reduce their chances of getting the disease.
She advised women to desist from wearing undersized brassieres, which she said could expose them to other diseases.
