Mrs. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, Chief Executive Officer of Breast Care International and Peace and Love Hospital, says according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 70% of cancer deaths occur in lower and middle income countries.
According to her, the WHO report also indicated that most of the women affected with Breast Cancer are below the age of 50 years in Ghana and stressed the need to educate and sensitise the young women on the need for early detection from the Health facilities.
Dr. Wiafe Addai made the disclosure at Breast Cancer Education Clinical Screening and Empowerment at Mancell Senior High Technical School in Kumasi to sensitise and engage the students.
According to her, more than 4,650 new cases are diagnosed in Ghana annually since 2020 with 2,020 dying annually since 2020.
She added that every 50 seconds, a woman somewhere dies from Breast Cancer and every 14 seconds a woman somewhere is diagnosed with breast cancer.
According to the CEO of Breast Cancer International, engaging students cannot be underestimated, because when they are educated and well informed about the disease, they would be able to also educate the elderly.
She argued that the young ladies should get first-hand information about Breast Cancer and educate their parents to do away with the perceptions that Breast Cancer is caused by witchcraft or it is spiritual.
Quoting WHO, she said Cancer kills more than the combination of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis and called for serious discussions on the pressing causes and treatment and prevention of cancer as most people still have the perceptions that the disease is spiritual or caused by witchcraft.
Mrs. Beatrice Addai disclosed that, Breast Cancer International is partnering with a student’s group from Pennsylvania led by Stephen Everi and a group from Washington DC to empower women and girls and to also guide them towards career choice through donation of books and other learning materials.
