Former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba has called on government to consider establishing breast cancer treatment centers across the country to curb the spread of the disease.
The project, she noted could be added to government’s flagship one district one factory initiative.
Madam Otiko Djaba made the call when she joined leadership of Breast Care International (BCI) to embark on the 9th walk dubbed: “Ghana Walk for the Cure” which was under the theme: “Early detection is the best protection”.
She also underscored the need for government to offer financial assistance to survivors of breast cancer to empower them economically.
The former Gender Minister who has started assisting breast cancer survivors under the Henry Djaba Foundation, which the former minister named after her father, the scheme seeks to rehabilitate survivors of the deadly condition so that they could return to normal economic life and health.
Also, Foundation is currently accepting proposals from survivors to facilitate a loan process from MASLOC for such women to usher them into productive economic lives again.
The President for Breast Care International Ghana Dr. Beatrice Wiafe-Addae is calling government to partner them half breast cancer cases by year 2030.
The cancer advocate who is also the CEO of Peace and Love Hospital bemoaned the lack of a social support system to cater for breast cancer patients and survivors since they were not covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Dr. Wiafe-Addae also called on the Gender Ministry to reactivate breast cancer board at the ministry to help with advocacy.
For his part, the Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan urged women to make regular check ups a lifestyle.
He also encouraged survivors to seek counseling from professionals and stop blaming themselves for what they had gone through.
Source:Ghana|Adom FM| Kafui Justice Sorkpor