<<Print>>

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death and the most common cause of hospital admissions among Ghanaian women. Despite efforts by various governmental and non-governmental organizations to prevent and control breast cancer in Ghana, sixty percent of Ghanaian women delay seeking medical consultation for breast disease symptoms. Since breast cancer symptom progression is a time dependent factor, significant delay in diagnosis and treatment can result in advanced stage of the disease and lowered chances of survival. It is for this reason that Breast Care International (BCI), a non-governmental organization (NGO) was formed with the vision of reducing the increasing mortality rate of breast cancer in Ghana. As a result over the past twelve years, BCI in collaboration with Peace and Love Hospitals (PLH) is leading the fight against breast cancer in Ghana through awareness creation, education towards early detection, and screening the public for symptoms of breast cancer especially those in deprived communities in Ghana. On Saturday the 26th July, 2014, a medical team from BCI and Peace and Love Hospitals led by Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe Addai, President of BCI and CEO of Peace and Love Hospitals, gave a pictorial presentation on breast cancer to the people of Madina in Accra. The program was organized and hosted by the Young Heart Foundation of Ghana at the Madina Polyclinic. The program was attended by a large crowd of people mostly women. The participants were taught how to properly perform their own Breast Self-Examination (BSE). Speaking to the participants, Dr. Wiafe Addai urged the women to regularly check their breasts and report any suspicious symptom to appropriately trained health care professionals for evaluation. She recommended that the audience should take advantage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for accessing quality health care because cancer treatment is expensive without the National Health Insurance. The women were given the opportunity to ask questions and answers were given to their satisfaction. Following the educational program, the medical team clinically screened over five hundred women for symptoms of breast diseases especially breast cancer. Those with suspicious symptoms were refereed to appropriate hospitals for further investigation and treatment if necessary.