Breast Cancer Month: Trust Hospital CEO encourages screening for early detection

Breast cancer patients who undergo mastectomy – removal of the breast to prevent the lump from spreading further to other parts of the body– can still have a 100 per cent chance of leading normal lives, the CEO of Trust Hospital, Dr Mrs Juliana Oye Amey, has emphasised.

Subsequently, she has urged women to prioritise their health this October by getting screened for breast cancer to ensure early detection and diagnosis.

Mrs Amey made this known when the Trust Hospital Company Limited launched the 2024 Pink October Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Accra on Tuesday on the theme: “Close the Care Gap: Everyone Deserves Access to Cancer Care”.

She said as part of efforts to mitigate the incidence of breast cancer cases and resulting deaths in the country, her outfit would undertake month-long activities, including screening an estimated 10,000 women, as well as embark on advocacy campaigns to mark the celebrations.

“As we embark on another impactful month of screenings, education and advocacy, I take this opportunity to encourage all women to prioritise their health this October. Breast cancer affects women of all ages and early detection is paramount,” she said.

“Therefore, I implore you to undergo screening, encourage women in your life to do the same and raise awareness about the importance of early diagnosis. Together, we can bridge the gap and ensure that every woman has access to the necessary cancer care.”

Journalist and author Oheneyere Gifty Anti, who was the special guest of honour, emphasised that education was a crucial factor in closing the gap in screening and early detection, as well as combating stigmatisation.

“This is a month set aside globally for us to take care of our breasts and as beautiful as they are, if we do not take care, they can lead to our doom; not just us, but bringing devastating and untold hardship and pain to our loved ones,” she said.

“Education must go on. For years, we have depicted people with breast cancer in such a horrible way. Very horrible to the extent that even if someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, you don’t want to get close to the person because you are afraid it will be infectious”. 

Collaboration

She called for a collaborative effort among the government, religious leaders, traditional authorities, corporate institutions and health professionals to foster a unified approach in the fight against breast cancer. 

“On this day, I take the opportunity to call on the government, now and yet to come, whoever it is, to pay attention and to put their money where their heart is.

Governments need to invest in cancer research. I call on corporate bodies to also invest in education and treatment of cancer patients,” she added.