Create ample public awareness about breast cancer – Dr. Wiafe

The President of Breast Care International (BCI), Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai has called for an extensive public awareness creation of breast cancer in the fight against the disease which has claimed many lives of women out of ignorance.

She said through the awareness, the public can be educated and sensitized on the existence and the curable of the dreaded disease.

Dr Beatrice Wiafe, who is also the Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Peace and Love Hospitals, said this at African Regent Hotel in Accra on the eve of October 1 as part of activities to usher in the month October, which is declared a ‘Pink Month’ by World Health Organization (WHO).

The month October is set aside by WHO to create awareness to all forms of cancers in every year.

Breast Care International (BCI) in collaboration with Delta Airlines, held series of programme at African Regent Hotel and Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra to create an awareness about breast cancer disease.

The activities were prelude to this year’s Breast Cancer Walk taking place at Koforidua in the Eastern region, on 14th of October 2017, with an estimation 40,000 people to participate.

The program termed “Flash Mob”, first in its kind in the country, also introduced the Peace and Love Survival Babies, a baby group of Peace and Love Hospital, to the public, who entertained customers and passengers with music and dance performances.

The Survival Babies consists of persons whose relatives have either died or survived breast cancer treatment.

“The disease is curable and survival, so the public must be aware so that they will report to the hospital early if they find any breasts abnormality for treatment”, she noted.

She said in spite of massive and vigorous campaign about the disease, the reporting late of the disease among patients to the hospitals, tells that people are still not aware of the disease. Adding, that calls for more intensive public awareness and education.

Explaining why they took the campaign to hotel and the airport, Dr Wiafe Addai said “we want to insert some kind of innovation in the quest to fight the curable disease. We are not only going to the rural areas, but also to engage those in the cities, who can one way or the other, also create an awareness of the disease to their families and relatives”

The country’s Director of Delta Airlines Viki Vaughan-Williams, the main sponsor of the program, said as partners in the fight against breast cancer, the company will not relent in its effort to assist BCI in all possible ways.

“It also forms part of our corporate social responsibility,” she added.

Delta Airlines, who sponsored the ‘Walk for the Cure 2016’ last year in Kumasi, is also sponsoring the event in Koforidua, the Eastern regional capital, this year.