Medifem hospital raises awareness on breast cancer; screens over 900 women

The Medifem Multi-Specialist Hospital & Fertility Centre has
rounded up a series of activities put together to mark Breast Cancer
Awareness campaign in October.

The campaign which was on the theme “Go Pink; Fight Breast Cancer” is
part of the hospital’s social initiatives to provide advocacy and care
on global health issues.

In the month-long exercise, over 900 women and some men benefited
from free screening exercises conducted in the Dome and Madina markets,
as well as some selected corporate institutions and at the hospital’s
two branches.

A team of staff led by the hospital’s lead General Practitioner Dr.
Choice Wereko-Dankwa, screened patrons and examined them for signs of
lump in the breast, redness of skin of the breast, a discharge from the
nipple, a rash or peeling of the skin on the breast, a sunken nipple,
and a change in the size or shape of the breast among other diagnosis
and tests.

 In a final note to wrap up the series of activities, Hospital Manager,
Mrs. Wilhelmina Banful said Medifem embarked on the activities as part
of efforts to raise awareness on breast cancer which is killing many
people especially women in Ghana and urged the general public to go for
regular screening.

“Breast cancer is a major health concern in Ghana and so we have
decided to be part of the national effort to raise awareness on the
disease every October. We are glad that through our screening and
awareness creation exercises, a lot more people have known their status
and are now aware of what the disease is. In the coming years, we are
going to make sure that more people benefit from this exercise. I urge
everyone, especially women, to take the message seriously and screen
periodically because the disease is best treated when detected early”
Mrs. Banful noted.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women. More
than a million women worldwide are diagnosed each year and over half of
the women die from the disease.

It is reported that About 60-70% of patients go to seek medical
attention only at very late stages of the cancer when little or nothing
can be done about their situation, hence the need for sensitization to
enable women detect changes in their breast early enough and report on
time.

The World Health Organization and its global partners have therefore
dedicated October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month; a worldwide annual
campaign involving thousands of organisations, to highlight the
importance of breast cancer awareness, diagnosis and research.