Invest in health care of children - Dr Opoku-Adusei

The immediate past President of the Ghana Medical Association, GMA, Dr Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, has encouraged parents to invest in the health of their children, insisting a  country’s wealth is dependent on the health status of its citizens.

Dr Adusei, who has joined the Breast Cancer International (BCI)-DHL and sponsored free screening exercise for senior high schools countrywide, said without a healthy productive workforce, economic growth would grind to a halt.

He said women dominated the informal sector of the economy and advised parents to be particularly watchful of the health status of their daughters who were more predisposed to breast cancer which invariably affected their contribution to economic development. 

During the screening at the Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School (OKESS) in Kumasi which drew over 2,800 students, the BCI President, Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai, asked the students to periodically carry out self breast examination and promptly report any unusual observation for treatment.

She assured the students that breast cancer, contrary to widely held misconceptions, was treatable and curable but on condition that early signs were reported for prompt attention. 

Dr Wiafe Addai observed that the collaboration with DHL had widened the coverage of free breast screening and encouraged other corporate bodies and public-spirited individuals to contribute and help bring health and prosperity to women in particular, and Ghana in general.

Survivors of breast cancer present at the programme recounted their personal experiences.