Addressing attendees who came from Nkoranza and the surrounding towns, Beatrice Wiafe Addai, President of BCI and C.E.O of Peace and Love Hospitals described the devastating effects of breast cancer on the nation and the world at large. Like many of their counterparts in Africa, Ghanaian women are slow to seek care for breast health issues due to superstition, lack of understanding about the disease’s early symptoms and reluctance and fear, Dr. Addai said. A number of women hope for a self-cure or simply just entrust it to divine intervention, she added.

Various forms of diagnoses of the disease and the techniques of breast self-examination were explained with strong encouragement for women to undertake monthly self examinations. Dr. Addai encouraged women to seek expert medical care if they detect anything abnormal with their breasts as prompt as possible. Her message was followed by a session of clinical breast screening, which saw the participation a substantial number of women.

The Municipal Chief Executive of Nkoranza and the Paramount chief, Nana Kudom Agyemang praised BCI and Peace and Love Hospitals for instituting grassroots education and breast screenings to create and sustain awareness about breast cancer in rural and urban communities, whilst promoting early detection and prompt treatment.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. It is also the principal cause of death from cancer among women. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one woman dies from the disease every 69 seconds somewhere around the world resulting in more than 1,300,000 deaths globally.

BCI is an AWDF grantee.