Dr. Kwabena Kumi, a Deputy Director in-charge of Clinical Care at the Directorate who made the announcement, said the unit would enable easy screening of people for breast cancer and give the necessary intervention at the initial stage of the disease.
He said breast cancer was the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, saying Ghana recorded 4,482 breast cancer cases in 2020 with more than 2000 deaths because those people reported the cases when they were at an advanced stage.
Dr. Kumi was speaking at a Multi-Stakeholders Breast Cancer Awareness Creation with Impact durbar, on the theme ”Creating Breast Cancer Awareness and Early Detection: Stakeholders Roles and Responsibilities” at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani.
It was organized by the UENR Ladies Association in collaboration with the Bono Regional Hospital and drew participants from ladies association groups such as Police, Prison and Fire Services, UENR, nurses and other stakeholders.
He said according to the Global Cancer Observatory report, female breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world with an estimated 2.3 million new cases in 2020.
According to him, the Bono Region recorded 180 cases in 2020,103 in 2021 and 93 cases as at August 2022, adding that these were cases reported to health facilities, but it could be possible others also developed disease and died undetected.
Dr. Kumi, therefore, stressed the need for early detection of breast cancer to save lives, because it was curable when detected early.”There is hope when most non-communicable diseases are presented early, but when reported late it is usually associated with complications and the outcomes are usually not good”, he said.
Dr. Kumi said breast cancer was not only a health issue but a concern that matters to everyone and therefore called for collaborative effort to respond appropriately to prevent its rising occurrence.
On his part, Professor John Kuwornu, the Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor of UENR bemoaned the fact that not all health facilities were equipped with breast cancer equipment for screening to achieve the early detection campaign.
He therefore tasked stakeholders to deliberate on where breast cancer facilities were located and how people could take advantage of the services to facilitate early detection and prevention.
The occasion was used to raise funds as seed money for the purchase of a mammogram machine for the Sunyani Regional Hospital.
