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Ghana on track to eliminate cervical cancer – MSD Director
Mr Zweli Bashman(inset) addressing Stakeholders at the programme
The Managing Director of Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa, Mr Zweli Bashman has expressed confidence in Ghana’s efforts towards the elimination of the deadly cervical cancer.
According to Mr Bashman, the collaborative efforts by stakeholders including government, private sector and health practitioners in Ghana was a step in the right direction towards eliminating the disease and its associated deaths.
“I am impressed with the collaborative nature of all the stakeholders including private sector players, healthcare practitioners and government. With the kind of collaborative leadership, I am convinced that Ghana is on its way to eliminate cervical cancer,” he stressed.
He was speaking on the sidelines of Africa Health Business Women’s Symposium held in Accra under the theme “Establishing Sustainability in Cervical Cancer Prevention, Screening and Care in Ghana.”
The event organised by MSD, a global health care company formed part of efforts and journey towards cervical cancer elimination on the continent.
“Cervical cancer is the most deadly cancer on the continent and the sad thing is that it is preventable. Hence there has been a lot of focus by the World Health Organisation (WHO) through private partnerships, government, policy makers and other stakeholders to ensure its prevention,” he said.
Consequently, he announced that there would soon be the introduction of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Programme in Ghana next year which would help in the prevention.
“Ghana currently has HPV incidence of 3000 per annum which means that 3000 women are diagnosed of cervical cancer every year. Of the number, 60 percent would pass away which is a staggering figure considering that this is a preventable disease. The vaccination programme would, however, help reduce the incidence of cervical cancer and the mortality rate significantly,” he explained.
“The rollout would be next year and would provide enough time to government to ensure an effective rollout particularly in the space of social mobilisation, healthcare awareness and education for communities and practitioners,” he stressed.
He also called on male partner involvement to support the prevention of cervical cancer in Ghana as it also affects men in various ways.
“There is the assumption that HPV causes cancer in women alone but that is not entirely true. It also causes cancer in men including hidden neck cancers and anal cancers, hence it is important for men to participate in that learning process with their partners and get vaccinated as well,” he added.
To achieve the elimination agenda, it must involve vaccinating adolescents between nine and 14, all gender neutral vaccination as well as adults.
“There is a high degree of prevalence and mortality rate and everyone must be involved in the education and preventive measures,” he stated.
“We all need to come on board. The government must put in place structures that would enable people to get screened, advocacy groups and manufacturers to continue investing in research and development while healthcare consumers exhibit early health-seeking behaviour to ensure that we are not dealing with late stage cancers,” he explained.
Across the continent, he said, they were looking forward to having 80 to 90 per cent of the population having a viable and effective vaccination rollout.
The programme brought together stakeholders within the health sector in the country and beyond to discuss collaborative efforts towards the elimination of cervical cancer in Africa.
Stories By Michael D. Abayateye
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NHIA set to boost its cybersecurity and IT Infrastructure
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), in partnership with a leading private cybersecurity solutions provider in Ghana, CyberHawk Limited, is advancing the Authority’s digital infrastructure to ensure seamless operations.
This is to safeguard the Authority’s digital technologies and maintain the trust of active members of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
In this context, the NHIA Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in the Head Office, on February 11, 2024, launched a three-day brainstorming session on the organization’s cybersecurity enhancement agenda.
The MIS Directorate Ag. Director, Mr. Daniel Blankson explained that the collaborative meeting aimed to scrutinize the NHIA’s Information Technology architecture, identifying potential risks and gapsto enhance its cybersecurity posture.
“By leveraging CyberHawk Limited’s expertise, the NHIA seeks to fortify its defenses against cyber threats, protecting sensitive information and maintaining the trust of its members.”
Mr. Blankson applauded the synergy between the two organizations and underscored the Authority’s commitment to embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to drive its mission forward.
The Head of Information Security and Standards Unit, in the MIS Directorate, Mr. Ebenezer Hooper, highlighted the Authority’s significant milestone on the digital transformation journey.
According to him, the NHIA is actively engaged in fully adopting and implementing modern digital systems to improve its operations.
He said, “The three-day brainstorming meeting will culminate in the development of a robust IT infrastructure, as well as strategic plans to translate security implementations into tangible IT cost savings for the organization.”
“There is the need to form a steering committee or IT advisory committee, operated under the Board, so that they can pay more attention in protecting the huge IT investment while ensuring cyber security-related policies are well protected,” he added.
The Project Manager of CyberHawk Limited, Mr. Chetan Narayana Murthy, lauded the collaboration and anticipated that it would empower the NHIA to implement comprehensive cybersecurity measures.
According to him, “This is a huge project that will greatly benefit the NHIA by implementing robust cybersecurity measures, safeguarding their systems, and ultimately protecting the sensitive information of NHIA members and healthcare providers.”
A Senior Manager of IT infrastructure, Mr. David Asare Addo, and his colleague, a Senior Manager of Applications, Mr. Enock Afanyi, with the MIS Directorate, gave an overview of the NHIA’s current technological landscape.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Claims, Membership and Regional Operations (MRO), Research, Policy, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RPME), Corporate Affairs, the Audit, Administration, and Human Resource Directorates.
Story By : Vivian Arthur
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
