Women have been advised to report suspected cases of breast cancer promptly to health facilities for diagnosis and treatment.
Speaking to the media in Akwatia after a free breast cancer screening program, the President of Breast Care International, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, also encouraged religious leaders and traditional herbal medicine practitioners to join the campaign against breast cancer by referring women who report to them with suspected cases to hospitals.
Dr. Wiafe, also the CEO of the Peace and Love Hospitals, bemoaned instances where such patients are taken to herbal centres or prayer camps instead of resorting to orthodox medical treatment.
She said needless emotional and financial challenges and in some extreme cases, death could be averted if herbalists and religious leaders referee patients to health facilities on time.
“We are encouraging patients and relatives to see hospitals as the first point of call in all cases of breast cancer. As has been the practice, relatives rather rush to hospitals after failed attempts elsewhere, burdening hospitals with complications and expecting miracles overnight,” she lamented.
The recourse to unapproved methods of treatment, according to her, poses a real threat to life, saying “it is about time education was intensified for the understanding of the public that breast cancer cannot be treated through any means apart from orthodox medicine.”
The screening at the Akwatia Bethel Presbyterian church was highly patronized, with breast cancer survivors sharing personal experiences of how they have survived the disease and remained healthy and productive , years after treatment.
The leader of the Akwatia Bethel Presbyterian women’s association, Madam Agnes Akwa, was full of praise for the selfless work of BCI, and associated herself with the pre-screening education by Dr. Wiafe, to the extent that women should regularly carry out their own breast self- examination and promptly report any abnormality in the breast first to hospital for treatment, insisting, early detection, and prompt action, is equal to prevention.
The congregation was also screened for hypertension and diabetes.
The BCI team took the opportunity to create awareness about some non-communicable diseases, and the need for people to go for regular medical check-up.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin