The Bono Regional Health Directorate has announced that it is laying a foundation with the necessary logistics and human resources leading to the establishment of a standard Breast Cancer Care Unit in the region.
Dr. Kwabena Kumi, Deputy Director in-charge of Clinical Care at the Directorate who made the announcement, said the unit would enable easy screening of people for breast cancer and give the necessary intervention at the initial stage of the disease.
He said breast cancer remained the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, adding that Ghana recorded 4,482 breast cancer cases in 2020 with more than 2,000 deaths, because those people reported the cases when they were at an advanced stage.
Dr. Kumi was speaking at a multi-stakeholders breast cancer awareness durbar, on the theme ”Creating Breast Cancer Awareness and Early Detection: Stakeholders Roles and Responsibilities” at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani.
It was organised by the UENR Ladies Association, in collaboration with the Bono Regional Hospital, and drew participants from ladies association groups such as Police, Prison and Fire Services, UENR, nurses and other stakeholders.
He said, according to the Global Cancer Observatory report, female breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, with an estimated 2.3 million new cases in 2020.
According to him, the Bono Region recorded 180 cases in 2020,103 in 2021, and 93 as at August this year, adding that these were cases reported to health facilities, but it could be possible others also developed the disease and died undetected.
Dr. Kumi, therefore, stressed the need for early detection of breast cancer to save lives, because it is curable when detected early. ”There is hope when most non-communicable diseases are presented early, but when reported late it is usually associated with complications and the outcomes are usually not good’,’ he said.
Dr. Kumi said breast cancer was not only a health issue, but a concern that mattered to everyone, and called for collaborative efforts to respond appropriately to prevent its rising occurrence.
On his part, Professor John Kuwornu, Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor of the UENR, bemoaned the fact that not all health facilities were equipped with breast cancer equipment for screening to achieve the early detection campaign.
He, therefore, tasked stakeholders to deliberate on where breast cancer facilities were located and how people could take advantage of the services to facilitate early detection and prevention.
Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, Bono Regional Minister, suggested the need for the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to formulate a policy to facilitate easy access to health facilities for breast screening by the public.
“This can help for timely diagnosis of breast cancer to ensure its prevention, comprehensive treatment and supportive care”, she said.
She said it had become essential as a region to raise awareness through intensive education about breast cancer to prevent the rate of affecting family members, since the disease was becoming a great public health challenge among women in the country.
“With about 2,900 cases occurring annually and one-eighth of victims dying from it, the disease has become the most common cancer-related death among Ghanaian women”, Madam Owusu-Banahene said.
She therefore encouraged stakeholders to make a difference by rising above the challenge of buying a mammogram machine for the SRH because “it is a private health facility that has the machine in the entire Bono Region”.
Madam Owusu-Banahene said the initiative to raise funds in support of buying a mammogram machine was timely because it would support many women within the age bracket of 45-55 years to get an early detection, diagnosis and early treatment.
Giving data on breast cancer cases at SRH, Dr. Frank Owusu, Senior Specialist Head of Accident and Emergency Department at the hospital said from 2017 till date539 breast lump cases had been reported, but 115 of those cases were confirmed breast cancer, representing 21 per cent.
He said 89 cases of breast lumps were reported in 2017 and 13 representing 14 per cent were confirmed breast cancer whereas 64 cases were reported in 2018 and seven signifying 10 per cent were breast cancer.
In 2019, he continued 122 lump cases with 53 confirmed breast cancer, representing 43 per cent were reported, while 69 lump cases with nine indicating 13 per cent were reported in 2020.
Dr. Owusu said 86 cases were recorded in 2021 with 11 confirmed breast cancers that represented 13 per cent, adding that 109 cases had been reported now this year with 22 cases of breast cancers forming 20 per cent of those cases.
The occasion was used to raise funds as seed money for the purchase of a mammogram machine for the Sunyani Regional Hospital.
