Health Essentials
October and beyond is for breast cancer awareness
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives so much that many diseases were virtually neglected. Unfortunately this has even worsened the deficits we were already battling with. Screening for breast cancer as well as increasing awareness of this cancer dipped. Like many others, Breast Cancer belongs to the group of apparently “neglected diseases” over the past eighteen (18) months or so.
We need to urgently schedule breast screening and support those who can’t afford breast screening due to accessibility or financial challenges. This will help us catch this cancer before it spreads and becomes less treatable.
As the world has put it; IT’S TIME TO RISE…
We need to rise and rally support in Screening, Supporting and Serving in whatever way possible. Look beyond yourself and help save other people.
Yes breast cancer is over a hundred times more common in women, but it may occur also in males with an even poorer outcome due to delays in diagnosing. So this year tell all the males you know to have their breasts examined.
Breasts seem to generate a lot of enthusiasm whenever they are mentioned yet in many developing countries we still struggle with early detection of breast cancer. One would have thought that for something that draws so much attention, we will all do our bit to ensure it remains healthy.
If you do not know what your “normal” breast looks like then you will not be able to tell if changes occur and it may be too late in the day when cancer is detected. Examine your breasts TODAY!
Diagnosing Breast Cancer
Some people know a lot about their breasts and the awareness of breast cancer is so high that the smallest change in their breast is reported to a health professional. In our part of the world ignorance, poverty and fear may delay detection to the point that the breast is sometimes “mutilated” beyond recognition and the odour emanating from the breast could relieve you of your chronic sinusitis before one presents at a hospital. Prior to this some may have tried all sorts of concoctions including applying suspicious herbs and driving away evil spirits.
The following steps may help:
- Physician and/or self-breast exam
- Monthly self-breast examination is highly encouraged in our part of the world and supported by an annual professional breast examination.
- Look out for lumps, changes in breast shape and sizes, skin changes in colour and dimpling,
- Itching of breast (do not panic. This is rarely an indication of breast cancer)
- Nipple discharge or changes
- DO NOT WAIT FOR PAIN IN YOUR BREAST BEFORE TAKING ACTION
- Mammography
- Ultra sound scan of the breasts
- Biopsy – taking out a suspicious growth in the breast and examining
Other tests such as PET CT, MRI and the CT scan will also help detect spread if they are available.
Can you imagine what goes through the mind of someone who is diagnosed of breast cancer that has already spread especially without adequate counselling?
We elicit multiple fears including:
- Fear of surgery
- Fear of death
- Loss of body image
- Loss of sexuality
Statistics that make you cringe
- “A total of one woman is diagnosed of breast cancer worldwide every three minutes”. About two people will have been diagnosed with breast cancer by the time you finish bathing today
- “Breast cancer is the second commonest cancer among women in Ghana. It accounts for 15 per cent of all cancers and 40 per cent of female cancers in Ghana”
- “Majority of breast cancer cases in Ghana are between the ages of 40 and 49 years”
Medical science is unable to pinpoint the cause of breast cancer so our best options are EARLY DETECTION and REDUCING OUR RISK FACTORS. It is also important to extend a helping hand to help cure those diagnosed but who cannot afford treatment, support through information dissemination and emotional support to cope with the diagnoses and side effects of treatment. Take a stand today and if you do not have any ideas you may contact the Cancer Society.
Finally dear reader let’s put the following in action
- Early detection is great so women should do monthly self exam and probably examination by a healthcare professional yearly. Men should make sure we examine our breasts occasionally, the risk is real
- All women should get a baseline mammogram between 35 and 40 years, 40-50 years mammogram every other year and yearly after 50 years. Yes there are arguments about this frequency but after all is said and done it is a safer option
- Exercise regularly
- “BUDDY UP” for breast cancer and get fit together….
- Join a friend or friends to exercise or start a healthy life programme together. You may buddy with a breast cancer survivor, newly diagnosed person with breast cancer or someone without breast cancer. The plan is to work as a team to achieve better results.
- “BUDDY UP” for breast cancer and get fit together….
- Eat a healthy meal with a great portion of fruits, vegetables and omega -3 laden fish. But beware of fats and oil.
- If you intend to start a family, maybe you should before you are 30years and then breastfeed for as long as you can afford to.
- What about donating blood to assist people in need of blood, which may include those battling breast cancer.
- DEFINITELY make sure you alert at least one busy woman, one woman without access to information and one man, that breast cancer is real but a lot can be done when detected early.
Together we can all work to reduce the incidence of advanced breast cancer.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/Mobissel/St. Andrews Clinic
(www.healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr. Essel is a Medical Doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise.
Thought for the week – “Screening saves lives. When detected early the five-year survival rate for breast cancer is 99 per cent.”
References:
- www.medicinenet.com/breast_cancer
- Mosby’s Ace the Boards
- www.mayoclinic.com
- www.healthessentialsgh.com
- Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth
Health Essentials
Children Believe, Norsaac present medicines, medical equipment to three Health Directorates
THE Northern, Upper East and Savannah Regional Health Directorates have taken delivery of various medicines and medical equipment to improve care for pregnant/lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children under five years.
The medicines and medical equipment, worth GH¢1.6 million, were procured with funding support from the Canadian Government through Global Affairs Canada.
They included Combined Iron (III) Hydroxide Polymaltose and Folic Acid – 5,500 Boxes, Mebendazole (Wormalex 400mg) – 10,000 Packs, Albendazole (400mg) – 20,000 Packs, Combine Ferrous Sulphate and Folic Acid (Folidyn Tab mp) – 2880 cartons, Tarring Weighing Scale- 18 pieces, Digital Thermometer – 108 pieces, and Height Rod in CMS/Feet HOM Stadiometer – 27 pieces.
The rest were Blood Pressure Monitor Digital, Andon- 27 pieces, Ultrasonic Pocket Doppler, 1.5v Sonotrax Basic – 9 pieces, Glucose meters – 54 pieces, Glucose meter stripes (50’s)- 500 pieces, Delivery set (used for facility-based delivery) – 27 pieces, Hb Testing System/URIT -12 – 36 pieces, Hb Test Stripes (50’s) – 800 pieces, Weighing Scale, Hanging (Salter) HOM- 27 pieces.
Some 96,374 individuals comprising pregnant/lactating mothers, adolescent girls and children under five years in nine districts in the three regions are expected to benefit from the medicines and the medical equipment.
A total of 54 health facilities in the nine districts, namely Bole, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, East Gonja, Tolon, Kumbungu, Nanumba South, Builsa South, Kassena-Nankana West and Kassena-Nankana North, are to benefit from the supplies.
They were donated by Children Believe, an international NGO, under the Championing Nutrition and Gender Equality (CHANGE) project, which is funded by Global Affairs Canada.
The CHANGE project is being implemented in partnership with Norsaac; the national implementing partner, amongst other governmental agencies.
The overall objective of the project is to improve nutrition for the poorest and most marginalised, especially women and adolescent girls.
Madam Esenam Kavi De Souza, the Country Director, Children Believe, speaking to hand over the medicines and the medical equipment to the authorities of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) at the Regional Medical Stores in Tamale, said it was geared towards achieving the project’s commitment to improve women’s leadership and control resources for community and individual gender equitable nutrition practices.
The authorities of the GHS in the Upper East and Savannah Regions also received their share of the donated items in their respective regions.
Madam De Souza said the gesture followed assessments conducted with the GHS to identify the most critical healthcare needs in the targeted communities. She said the intervention was designed to ensure that the support would make a meaningful difference in healthcare delivery for the poorest and most marginalised populations in the targeted districts.
Dr Chrysantus Kubio, the Northern Regional Director, GHS, who received the items, said they would significantly improve health service delivery in the beneficiary districts in the region.
He said as part of the project, motorbikes and laptops were also supplied to the districts to facilitate the work of health personnel and improve data analysis for health services.
He lauded the project saying such partnerships were crucial in supporting vulnerable populations, who faced financial barriers to healthcare and expressed appreciation to Global Affairs Canada and the implementing partners for their support. —GNA
ZERO Maternal Mortality was recorded at Awutu District Health Service in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Dr Felix Gerald Kwaning Darbbey, the District Health Service Director, disclosed this in a presentation at the 2025 Annual Performance Hearing summit at Awutu Bereku.
The Health Directorate has 30 Community Health Planning and Services compounds, Two Health Centers, Two Polyclinics, five Maternity Homes and three Private Clinics working under it. He said the theme for the meeting: ‘Reboot, Re-Center, Drive Universal Health Coverage,’ encouraged them to think about their journey together, reassess their priorities and confidently work towards their goal for everyone in the district, support the Service and the mission of the World Health Organisation to ensure that people accessed healthcare efficiently without hindrances.
According to Dr Darbbey, 3,258 deliveries was recorded in 2023 against 2,932 in 2024 but increased to 3,280 in 2025. Anemia in pregnant women at 36 weeks reduced from 3,029 in 2023 to 2,815 in 2024 and increased to 2,973 in 2025, skilled deliveries reduced from 3,258 in 2023 to 2,923 in 2024 and increased to 3,280 in 2025, while Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) deliveries dived from 211 in 2023 to 74 in 2024 and further up to 61 in 2025.
According to him, Out-Patient Department (OPD) attendants decreased from 163 in 2023 to 75 in 2024 and increased to 193 in 2025, with clients insured cards increasing to 71,721 in 2023 as against 81,111 in 2024 and to 90,363 in 2025. Hypertension cases went up to 684 in 2024 from 595 in 2023 and rose to 765 in 2025. The Directorate recorded 392 accidents in 2023 against 373 in 2024 and 353 in 2025 at the OPD. 279 tested positive in 2023, 63 in 2024 and 39 in 2025.
Darbbey mentioned some of their major challenges to include deplorable nature of roads which hampered monitoring and supervision, inadequate office at the district level, yet still low reporting rate by private facilities, low skilled deliveries in most facilities, low recording of epidemic and other prone diseases.
“The results came about due to integrating some funded activities with other activities, improved behavioural change communication, mostly on skin diseases and advent of wellness clinics, quarterly TB case searches and mop-up exercises and contract tracing conducted as well as intensified monitoring and supervision at the sub-districts facilities.”
He said Antenatal Clinic attendance reduced from 6,094 to 5,600 in 2024 and increased slightly to 5,829 in 2025, teenage pregnancies reduced from 681 in 2023 to 563 in 2024 and increased to 603 in 2025, pregnant women who tested for HIV increased.
“To sustain our achievement we must have the courage to face issues, we must be honest, welcome new ideas, find new smarter ways, focus on what really matters at providing services, especially on mothers who need care, vulnerable children, teenagers and adolescents who need help in navigating the health issues that they encounter.”
He said to move forward they need to focus on strengthening primary healthcare services which is the solid base of primary healthcare delivery, encourage community involvement at ensuring that persons who had not yet enrolled on NHIS had access to free service delivery when they were sick. —GNA
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