At least 10 breast cancer cases from the Bono Region are received every week at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
According to Mrs. Constance Antwi Bosiako, a Registered General Nurse at the Breast Care Center of KATH, the situation makes the region the highest in terms of all referral cases to the facility.
She made the revelation in an interview with Suncity Radio in Sunyani ahead of a free breast cancer screening and counseling.
The maiden edition of the screening is being powered by Suncity Group of Companies (Suncity Imperial Lodge, Suncity Radio, and Suncity Medical Outreach) in Collaboration with KATH.
Mrs. Antwi Bosiako further noted that every female, and in rare cases some men, are predisposed to breast cancer, hence admonished the people of the Bono Region, especially women, to make themselves available for the screening exercise.
She cited poor screening, ignorance, and lack of early detection as the leading causes of breast cancer fatalities in Ghana.
“The program is free. Ransford Antwi, the CEO of Suncity Radio, has paid for all expenses. No one will lose on that day because if you have the condition, we will diagnose and treat you, if you don’t, we will still counsel you on the best way to live a breast cancer-free life”, she explained.
This year’s program is slated for October 21, 2022, at Victoria Park in Sunyani, with over 15 medical doctors and nurses from KATH in attendance.
The exercise forms part of efforts to beef up awareness creation in the Bono region to commemorate the international breast cancer month in October.
The project coordinator and the Director of Suncity Group of Companies, Mrs. Safura Mohammed Suraj Antwi, earlier in a news conference explained that the initiative aimed at helping to bring relief to women and the people of Sunyani through both radio and face-to-face interactions about the disease because of its prevalence rate and unavailability of breast care center at the Bono Regional Hospital -the biggest referral center in Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions.
Mrs. Suraj Antwi stated that “the health of our people means a lot to us, and therefore, we must grab any idea, decision, or services towards the welfare of the people of Sunyani and the Bono region in general.”
She noted that most Ghanaian women have little knowledge about the dangers of breast cancer despite the annual awareness creation, hence, the critical need to widen their scope to preserve and prolong human lives in the region.