Cancer survivors cry on govt for more support

Individuals suffering from breast cancer and associated illnesses have urged government to prioritize prevention and show greater concern for cancer patients nationwide in order to improve their quality of life.

The group, which has about 900 members, drawn from across the country, believes there is more the government can do to help ease the plight of breast cancer survivors.

World Cancer Day

The Executive Organiser of the association, Joyce Aidoo, appealed on behalf of the group when they joined the Breast Care International (BCI), to mark this year’s World Cancer Day held at the Straight Way Chapel in Kumasi.

Between 2022 and 2024, the focus of the World Cancer Day celebration is to help “Close the cancer gap.”

This year marks the third and final year of the campaign.

The theme for this year is “Together, we challenge those in power”.

It encompasses the global demand for leaders to prioritise and invest in cancer prevention and care and to do more to achieve a just and cancer-free world.

Other speakers including Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, the President of the BCI and the Ejisuhemaa, Nana Yaa Asantewaa, on behalf of the survivors, all echoed the urgent need for the government to act now and help save precious lives.

The event, which was chaired by Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, saw the inauguration of a choir group of the Breast Cancer Survivors Association.

UICC

According to Dr Wiafe-Addai, the celebration was initiated by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which aims to mobilise urgent action to improve cancer risk awareness, as well as prevention, treatment and care services for all individuals, regardless of who they were and where they lived.

“It all starts with education and arming our healthcare professionals with the skills, knowledge and tools they need to take care of our people”, she stressed.

Mr Osei Mensah, on his part, advocated the need for all to register with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), to benefit fully from the scheme.

More important, he urged the general public to always seek early medication, which he described as the safest way to curb these non-communicable diseases.