The Empat-Caiquo Medical Centre has joined the global breast cancer awareness campaign, dedicating October for free breast cancer screening as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Philip Kwame Amenya, Business Development Officer at Empat-Caiquo, said the month of October had been dedicated to breast cancer awareness and advised that children, irrespective of their age, once the breast had started developing, it was important for them to be screened as well.
“I think we have narrowed the education bracket to the elderly and it is not helping.”
He said the scope should be enlarged to include teenagers because these days’ children menstruate and develop breast very early.
Mr Amenya said it was in that direction that the facility had offered to give free breast screening in the community and to its clients.
October is breast cancer awareness month, which is marked in countries across the world to help increase support.
Mr Amenya said early diagnosis remained the cornerstone of breast cancer control, adding that when found early and if adequate diagnosis and treatment were available, there was a good chance of cure.
“It is with this awareness that the Empat-Caiquo has set aside the whole of October to offer free breast screening for the public,” Mr Amenya said.
The screening started from Monday October 11th and within five days screened 31 females.
“Men normally do not pay attention to breast cancer because largely the education had been for women,” Mr Amenya, therefore, called for intensive education on the need for men to also screen for early detection of breast cancer.
He said: “men also have breast tissues, and there is the need to also examine their breast regularly as the women do, so that in the cases where any lump or infection is detected, they can quickly seek medical attention.”
Mr Amenya advised that education should be more on breast cancer, saying “we should not wait till October to create the awareness, it must be every day concern because the number of cases are scary.”
GNA