We’ll help fight cancer head-on – Board assures

• Posted on July 23, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

The newly inaugurated Ghana Cancer Board has pledged to collaborate with all stakeholders (Civil Society Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, cooperate bodies, the private sector, cancer survivors, researchers, and individuals) to drive down the cancer statistics, countrywide.

A press statement issued in Accra by the Board and signed by its Chairperson, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, called for increased collaboration with the aforementioned institutions, and emphasized that Cancers and Non- Communicable diseases should be fought head-on, as these group of diseases continue to take the lives of our loved ones, prematurely, burden the taxpayer and reduce productivity considerably.

The Advisory Board, inaugurated in May 2018 by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba, is mandated to educate, create awareness and mobilize funds to complement bold initiatives by the government to reduce the wave of cancers among Ghanaians.

“Achieving our core mandate would require carefully thought out programs including the use of brand ambassadors, quiz contests for schools, education programs in the schools, outdoor advertising, press conferences and the incorporation of social media for effective dissemination of our messages” the statement revealed.

The Board, realizing the enormity of its mandate, has created four main sub-committees namely research, education, and awareness creation, advocacy, and fundraising in furtherance of achieving its set goals.

The statement urged the public to collaborate with the Board as members embark on this all-important national assignment, to put cancers higher on the national platform, prevent the preventable cancers, reduce the overall cancer burden and ensure comprehensive cancer care in our country.

“The Board will be all-encompassing, but our focus will be on breast, cervical, childhood, and prostate cancers,” the statement added.