Let’s fight cancer together — Otumfuo

The Asantehene , Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11, has given the assurance to work in close collaboration with the government to fight cancer in the country.

He said it was important for all interest groups to come together to find an antidote to cancer diseases.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu said this when the President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Princess Dina Mired, paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi yesterday.

Princess Mired of Jordan arrived in Kumasi yesterday morning accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo.

They were met at the Kumasi Airport by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister,

Madam Elizabeth Agyeman and the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Osei-Assibey Antwi.
Also at the airport was the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, the Director-General of Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare and the President of Breast Care International, a leading non-governmental organisation, Dr ( Mrs) Beatrice Wiafe-Addai.

Princess Mired of Jordan was in Kumasi to launch the Ghana version of World Cancer Day.

Cancer curable

Otumfuo Osei Tutu said cancer was curable and its early detection would help reduce the growing cases in the country.
He has, therefore, called for education on cancer and its related ailments to be intensified adding that, "the disease is killing us".

The Asantehene further urged men with prostate cancer not to feel shy about the ailment but make it known early to their doctors so they could be helped with treatment.

Commendation

Otumfuo Osei Tutu commended Princess Mired who is the mother of a cancer surviver and a global anti-cancer advocate for her pragmatic efforts in fighting the disease globally.

He expressed his delight in UICC selecting Kumasi as the fourth city in the world and the first in Africa to be part of the City Cancer Project C-Can 2025 at the 2017 World Leader’s Summit held in Mexico.

He paid tribute to Dr Wiafe-Addai for the tremendous work she was doing in fighting breast cancer, especially among the poor in Ghana.

For her part, Princess Mired, said she was happy to be in Kumasi to launch the programme.

She called on the government to commit more resources to cancer education and expressed her commitment to see both education and reduction of cancer cases in the country improve.

She made reference to her son who survived cancer because it was detected early.