The Executive Director for Meena Breast Cancer Foundation, Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, has urged government and the Ghana Health Service to provide free care to women suffering from breast cancer. According to him, the costs associated with treating breast cancer is quite overwhelming for most women, hence this call.
Speaking at a press conference held at the International Press Centre in Accra, Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng made a passionate appeal to government and stakeholders in the health sector to as a matter of urgency, absorb all breast cancer treatment costs.
This he said is because many patients are unable to pay to receive care for breast cancer though it has been subsidized under the National Health Insurance Scheme. He acknowledged that though early detection saves life, more lives will be saved if treatment is free.
”Secondly most of them, especially those from remote communities do not have the means to pay for Mammogram, Biopsy and Pathology which we all know is expensive and not captured by NHIS. Is it not embarrassing that Ghana’s premier hospital, the Korle Bu Teaching hospital does not do Biopsy? Its Mammogram machine simply does not work. Meaning poor patients have no option than to access private facilities at a high cost. Most of them therefore prefer to go home and die or fall into the hands of quacks who equally send them to their early graves. The cost of chemotherapy varies depending on where and what drugs and injections one is taking. The minimum cost being Ghc350 with insurance and Ghc700 without insurance. When it comes to surgery, the cost varies from Ghc5,000 to Ghc6,000 without NHIS and Ghc1,600- Ghc2,000 with insurance. How many patients can pay,” he quizzed.
Mr. Oppong Kwarteng revealed that the Meena Breast Cancer foundation as part of efforts to make health care easily accessible to breast cancer patients has begun the construction of an ultra-modern specialized hospital in the country which would enable easy access to treatment and proper care given to patients. “The Foundation is currently putting up a breast cancer health facility at Gomoa Potsin to serve the people of the Central Region. This is going to be the first of its kind in the country. We hope to set up more across the country when funds become available. The breast cancer health facility includes: OPD, Breast screening Room Theatre, Laboratory, Dispensary, Consulting Rooms, Nurses’ station and a male and female wards,’’ he said.
He called on advocacy groups not to restrict breast cancer awareness to only October every year. He used the opportunity to empower the National Commission for Civic Education to make breast cancer a part of their daily campaign to eradicate the stigma, and to encourage women to do more self-examination and those who detect a lump in their breasts to go for early treatment. “It is important for NCCE to ensure that they intensify public sensitization on breast cancer and not wait for only October every year, though the October campaign is good it is not good enough. If this is done people will get to know how dangerous the disease is,” he added.
Meanwhile, Joycelyn Yaokumah, a breast cancer survivor lamented the high cost of treatment associated with the disease. She called on government and other non-governmental organizations to come to their aid.
“The drugs are too expensive. We are pleading with government to come to our aid. Some of us seldom go to the hospital for checkups because we don’t have the funds. I want to also use this opportunity to urge our relatives and loved ones to ignore all the misconceptions about breast cancer and show us the love and care we desire. The stigma alone can kill us,” she indicated.