MPs advocate breast cancer foundation

Members of Parliament have advocated the establishment of a breast cancer foundation to cater for the cost of awareness creation and treatment of the disease.
They called for a collective approach to efforts to prevent the disease, and its treatment.

The MPs were contributing to a statement made on the floor of the House by the Chairperson of the Women’s Caucus in Parliament, Hajia Mary Salifu Boforo, to mark  Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Various MPs who contributed to the statement gave frightening statistics of the disease but the common message that ran through their contributions was the need for more attention to be focused on the disease.

In her statement, Hajia Boforo, who is also the First Deputy Majority Whip and MP for Savelugu, called for the speeding up of the process of formulating policy guidelines on breast cancer.

She paid glowing tribute to Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai, who is a specialist surgeon and President of Breast Care International (BCI) Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to the establishment of breast cancer awareness centres throughout the country.

“Through her outreach programmes, hundreds of Ghanaians, particularly women living in the remote parts of the country, have survived the devastating effects of breast cancer and other related diseases”.

Hajia Boforo also acknowledged the efforts of the Cancer Society of Ghana, the Ghana Breast Cancer Alliance, the Cancer Research Institute and  corporate organisations such as Unique Trust Bank for supporting the fight against the disease.

In his contribution, a former Minister of Health and MP for Wa West, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, said efforts to realise objectives of the six months exclusive breastfeeding policy would be a mirage if the fight against breast disease was not intensified.

By Emmanuel Adu Gyamerah/Daily Graphic/Ghana