Editorial
Let’s create more awareness to fight breast cancer
October is breast cancer awareness month (often known as “pink month”), and as such, there will be a number of events to educate the public, particularly women, on the risks of the disease and how to treat or prevent it.
Women typically dress in pink T-shirts with ribbon embellishments throughout this month to raise awareness of the illness.
This year’s breast cancer awareness month will be marked by a number of events, including walks, talks, and breast cancer screenings, among others.
The Spectator has fervent hope that the screening exercises will not be focused only in the urban centres but also in the rural areas as breast cancer is deadly and is no respecter of persons.
Additionally, October is a good time for breast cancer survivors to inspire people who are presently receiving treatment.
The Spectator encourages both men and women to take advantage of the testing programmes during this awareness creation month to be screened to know their statuses because breast cancer is preventable and treatable when identified early.
As early diagnosis can help to stop the disease from spreading to other parts of the body, it is preferable to be diagnosed early for treatment as opposed to delaying screening in case the unexpected occurs.
According to statistics, the disease claimed the lives of 685, 000 people globally in 2020, and in Ghana, over 4,000 women are diagnosed with the condition each year, making up 3.1 percent of all cancer cases.
Health professionals should arrange counselling sessions for all demographics to give hope to breast cancer patients who are already demoralised by their diagnosis.
Unfortunately, despite increased awareness, some people still hold superstitious views about the illness and believe witchcraft to be the root of breast cancer.
They are adamant that breast cancer is spiritual and can only be cured spiritually, thus they won’t go to hospitals for treatment.
While it is not wholly wrong to ask God for help during illness in the form of miracles, attributing the etiology of breast cancer to spiritual forces is inappropriate.
Unfortunately, people who delay only visit hospitals when there are complications and the sickness has spread to other organs, making it too late for treatment.
Others attempt to treat themselves by ingesting various mixtures, but they only make matters worse.
Therefore, in order to prevent complications, we suggest those who have the disease to seek competent medical care.
Although the cause of breast cancer is unknown health professionals have claimed that there are several risk factors that make people more likely to get the disease. These include, among others, bleaching, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking.
Instead of partaking in these activities, which can have a variety of negative effects on one’s health, it is best to have a healthy lifestyle by monitoring your food, exercising frequently, consuming less alcohol, and avoiding bleaching in order to live longer.
Breast cancer has claimed the lives of many and we must all make a concerted effort to fight the disease through awareness creation seeking regular health check and doing self-breast examination.
Editorial
Kudos to Ho Teaching Hospital staff, but …
Dear Editor,
If there is any group of professionals that get bad-mouthed the most, then you are referring to nurses and medical doctors assigned to public hospitals across the country.
For this particular letter, I want to sing the praises of this same group of professionals that work at the Ho Teaching Hospital, famously known as Trafalgar.
Despite the work load and the mass casualties received at the emergency ward of the hospital, the welcoming nature of the nurses and the professional touch by the doctors can’t be ignored. My personal experience has got me travelling from my base in Accra to seek medical services from these professionals.
Special mention has to be made of the likes of Precious of the Pharmacy Department, Dr Brandon Banor (a maxillofacial resident) of the Dental unit, male nurse Justice assigned to the female surgical ward. Words cannot really do justice to their affable, professional caring nature. A simple thank you is all that I can say.
In the same vein, I can’t but call out the bad attitude of the auxiliary staff and contractors of the hospital.
Chief among them is some of the contracted bank staff that handle the payment section of the hospital and the patient registration section (those that check the status of the patient as to whether they are fee paying patients or NHIS sponsored).
The attitude at times leaves a bad taste in the mouth. One such occurrence was a night staff of the registration section who had her legs on the office table whilst talking to patients.
The CEO of the hospital needs to shine his torch light on this support sections before they erode the awesome performance of the direct medical staff of the hospital.
Thank you for the space.
Kwesi Manu
Accra
Editorial
Develop policies to address disability concerns
Dear Editor,
AT the beginning of the year, when I went to the bank to deposit money into my uncle’s account, I observed a very sad situation where a man in a wheelchair struggled to navigate his way around the facility.
This is because the structure is disability unfriendly.
As I stood and watched how the man struggled to move his wheelchair, I felt sad and wondered if this is how the life of a disabled person should be. It becomes worse if there is no one to offer help.
In Ghana, People With Disabilities (PWDs) are often treated differently and are often subjected to all forms of discrimination.
Most of these people find themselves in such a situation as a result of unfortunate happenings such as accidents and injuries.
It is, therefore, not appropriate for anyone to discriminate against them. Discrimination against such persons take many forms, including how buildings are constructed.
Most of the public structures are not disability friendly and impede their movement.
As a country, we should consider the PWDs in designing our structures. I also think that there should be a national policy that seeks to address this issue.
I have a strong conviction that when such a policy is developed by the government, people with disabilities would feel appreciated and also promote social inclusivity.
Ray,
Kasoa
