Two Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO), the D.A.S. Foundation and Health Belt Foundation in response to the dangers of breast cancer has called on the public not to allow caring for breast to end in the month of October.
According to the NGOs, although the tenth month of the year has been designated for breast cancer awareness creation worldwide, visiting a health facility for breast screening or conducting a self-screening exercise should not end after October.
The NGOs made the appeal to the public at a breast care awareness and screening exercise organised at Nii Boi Town in Accra last week.
Rabiatu Mohamoud Wattigi, Founder and Director of Health Belt Foundation, in an interview told journalists that the breast screening exercise was organised as part of observing October as breast cancer advocacy month.
She added that apart from the breast screening, the team is also providing hypertension screening, aimed at giving participants more benefits from the health screening.
She, therefore, made a clarion call to the public that even though October has ended, breast cancer, which affects both men and women, but women especially, must be prevented through regular screening and checkups.
Mrs. Wattigi explained that routine breast care would help with the early detection of a new lump, reddish discharge from the nipple, change in the appearance of the breast, pulling in of the nipple, pain in any area of the breast, irritation or dimpling of the breast skin and thickening or swelling of the part of the breast.
She made the passionate call to the public because most times, patients report cases of breast cancer at their advanced stages, which makes their chances of surviving the tumor very narrow.
Founder of DAS Foundation and Head Pastor of Streams of Power, Assemblies of God, Nii Boi Town, Pastor Dr. Digna Awadzi Smith said Christianity is not just about preaching the Gospel of Christ Jesus but about caring for the needy, sick and destitute.
Christians have a greater responsibility, which in his belief “in a society, we are not just to preach to them about Christ but also to show them the love of Christ through our deeds as a religious body. So, the exercise today is one of our social responsibilities, which by the Grace of God, we are offering for the people of Nii Boi Town.”
He said the outreach program is not limited to Nii Boi Town folks only, but other urban, peri-urban and rural areas as well.
Pastor Dr. Smith stated that the ultimate goal of the DAS Foundation is to provide social amenities to less privileged communities that have difficulty accessing, especially potable drinking water and health care.
“DAS Foundation is here to help, considering the need in a community, and do our quota to help communities,” he added.
