An Obstetrician and Gynecologist at SDA Hospital, Sunyani, Dr. Elijah Abakah-Quansah, has advised women, especially young girls, to avoid having multiple sexual partners as it was the main cause of contracting cervical cancer.
The disease, he said, was mainly transmitted through sexual contact and advised women to undergo regular screenings for early diagnosis and vaccination.
He gave the advice when over 70 female employees and tenants of the Sunyani Regional Office of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) went through a one-day seminar on cervical cancer to improve their knowledge of the disease and its devastating effects on their health.
He explained that the disease was serious because it was the second largest or most common cause of cancer in women and could be frustrating for patients.
The seminar, which was organized in collaboration with the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital (SDA) in Sunyani, aimed to help them detect the disease at its early stage to avoid complications.
In addition, the seminar aimed to encourage women to cultivate the habit of regular screening for early diagnosis and vaccination against the disease.
It was also to remind the public, especially women, that although the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated January every year for cervical cancer awareness, education about the disease should be an everyday issue.
No death penalty
Speaking to journalists after the seminar last Wednesday, Dr Abakah-Quansah said contracting cervical cancer is not a death sentence.
He explained that the disease was treatable as several victims had been treated at the hospital and other facilities across the country.
A section of participants
“We have had cases that have been dealt with here in Sunyani.
It’s not a death sentence, especially if you diagnose it early, we can do surgery to give you a cure.
Even if we found it at an advanced stage, there is still treatment or management for it,” he said.
Alarming
Dr. Abakah-Quansah said the increasing number of cases recorded in the facility is alarming and should therefore concern everyone.
He said on average, the unit alone recorded 15 cases every year, explaining that last week alone, the unit recorded four cases of cervical cancer.
Dr Abakah-Quansah said cases were likely to increase drastically because health facilities and other organizations and institutions had stepped up education and screening.
He said the number of women reported to the facility with suspected cases had also increased drastically because of the training.
National policy
Dr Abakah-Quansah expressed the need for the Ministry of Health to develop a national policy on free vaccination and screening for women and girls and include its treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
She said that under normal circumstances, women should be screened for the disease every three to five years, depending on the type of screening or test.
He called on health institutions to raise awareness about the disease to draw public attention to its devastating effects.
A little attention
On his part, Sunyani COCOBOD Administrator Michael PK Asumanu said he started the seminar because cervical cancer was a bane for many women.
He said some of them were not aware of the disease including its signs and symptoms and hoped the seminar would help increase their knowledge about the disease.
Mr Asumanu said research had shown that the disease was one of the leading causes of death among women and girls.
He commended SDA Hospital for working with COCOBOD to school staff on the devastating effects and signs and symptoms of the disease.
Mr Asumanu encouraged men to support their wives and daughters to get screened and vaccinated.
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