Two suspected cases of Breast Cancer have been detected at Hunni-Valley in the Prestea Hunni-Valley Municipality after a screening exercise.
The two suspected cases have been referred to the Tarkwa Municipal Hospital for further tests.
The breast screening exercise, organised by Aboso Gold Field Limited (AGL) and sponsored by Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GGF), formed part of the 2022 Breast Cancer Awareness programme, which brought over one hundred women drawn from the mine’s host communities in Damang and Hunni-Valley.
The women were offered free consultation on the disease and screened for cancerous lumps.
Addressing the gathering, the Municipal Director of the Ghana Health Service, Kwame Sampson, said over 16,000 cases of breast cancer were being reported in the country every year.
As a result, he appealed to women to avail themselves for the screening exercise, because early detection of the disease was important to fighting it.
He said though Ghana stands with the rest of the world to fight breast cancer early detection was significant in fighting it. So it was important for women to do away with shyness and rather avail their breasts for screening.
He asked: “How will you feel to lose your breast?” He advocated on the need for women to avail themselves for the exercise to screen their breasts.
He said if a woman loses her breast, she falls short of being called a complete woman and the emotional and psychological effects of losing a breast alone could even kill.
The screening exercise, which also brought together female students from Hunni-Valley Senior High School, had in attendance the Women in Mining group and traditional authorities.
Queenmothers such as Nana Ama Saraah I, Subri Hema, Nana Ekua Asamoah, Twenda, amongst others were present to grace the exercise.
The Acting General Manager of AGL, Catherine Kuupol Kuutor, said while breast cancer rates were higher among women in the more developed regions, it was increasing in every region worldwide.
These statistics, she said, threatened the survival of women and formed the basis for the launch of intensive public education on the subject.
She further said in that direction, it was important for every woman to know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, and understand the significance of early detection for treatment.
The mining company launched the awareness creation with its Women in Mining (WIM) group. A reason GGF and Damang wings of the WIM volunteered to support the awareness creation and share ideas with the host community’s stakeholders, in particular women, about the signs and symptoms of breast cancer in order to improve early detection and treatment.
Continue, Acting General Manager Kuupol said even though the disease seemed frightening, early discovery was crucial for its treatment and the survival of those affected.
How to do self-examination of the breast was demonstrated to the women who had gathered for the screening exercise.
