NGO urges Vice-President to champion free HPV Vaccination against cervical cancer

A non-governmental organisation (NGO) on health and social development, Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA CONSULT) has called on the Vice-President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, to push for policy interventions that will make Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination free.

It said given that cervical cancer was one of the killer diseases for women and the fact that vaccination could help prevent it, making the HPV vaccination free would be a critical step towards reducing the incidence of cervical cancer in Ghana.

The HPV vaccine is a critical tool in preventing cervical cancer, and making it free will ensure that more women and girls have access to this life-saving intervention.

The Executive Director of CDA Consult, Francis Ameyibor, made the appeal as Ghana joined the global community to commemorate Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.

Awareness month

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set aside January as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness of the disease and promote prevention and control efforts.

The theme for the 2025 awareness activities is: "Eliminating Cervical Cancer: A Shared Responsibility".

It emphasises the need for collective action to prevent cervical cancer, which claims thousands of lives annually in Ghana.

Efforts

In an engagement as part of the awareness month, Mr Ameyibor explained that CDA CONSULT was joining forces with global and local stakeholders to promote cervical cancer awareness and advocate free HPV vaccination in Ghana.

CDA Consult and partners have embarked on a five-year advocacy programme focused on free HPV vaccination, prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment.

While congratulating the President, John Dramani Mahama and the Vice-President, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, on their election and inauguration, he emphasised the need for the new government to prioritise gender issues and ensure they received the attention they deserved.

He urged the government, particularly the Vice-President, to make HPV vaccination free, considering the significant impact it would have on women's health.

“Cervical cancer is one of the issues concerning the health and well-being of women and we appeal to Prof. Opoku-Agyemang to join the advocacy of free HPV vaccination.

"Making HPV vaccination free is a critical step towards reducing the incidence of cervical cancer and promoting women's health," he stated.

He stated that by making HPV vaccination free, the government would help to significantly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer and improve women's health outcomes.

He said CDA Consult's advocacy efforts were focused on creating awareness of the importance of HPV vaccination and pushing for policy changes that would make the vaccine free.

It is working with various stakeholders: Caritas Christi Hospital in Ho, Volta Region, National Insurance Commission, the Eastern Regional Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education, as well as government officials, healthcare professionals and community leaders, to promote the importance of HPV vaccination and ensure that more women and girls have access to this critical intervention.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Caritas Christi Hospital, Dr Lawrence Kumi, who has also joined the nationwide anti-cervical cancer advocacy campaign, stressed that cervical cancer was curable, but the crucial first step was identifying symptoms and getting medical advice to address any concerns.

Dr Kumi, who is also the Medical Director of the hospital, while lauding the initiative, also called for concerted efforts to deal with the problem, stressing that cervical cancer could be cured at any age if signs or concerns were identified early.