Gender
Awareness: First weapon against breast cancer
October is globally observed as Breast Cancer Awareness Month -a period dedicated to raising awareness, honouring millions of lives touched by the disease, and reaffirming the worldwide commitment to equitable access to care and improved survival for all.
This annual observance, marked in countries across the globe, serves as a rallying point to increase attention and support for early diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. The 2025 theme, “Every story is unique, every journey matters,” places a spotlight on the deeply personal experiences of breast cancer survivors and patients. It underscores the diversity of their struggles while reinforcing the urgent need for compassionate, timely, and quality care regardless of geography, income, or background.
Behind every diagnosis lies not only a medical condition but also a story-one filled with courage, resilience, and hope. These stories extend beyond individuals, shaping the experiences of their families, friends, and entire communities.
Breast cancer continues to be the most diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 2.3 million women were diagnosed in 2022, and about 670,000 died from the disease.
“These are not just numbers but mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends who deserve hope and dignity,” the WHO emphasises.
Survival rates, however, differ starkly across regions. While the five-year survival rate exceeds 90 per cent in high-income countries, it drops to 66 per cent in India and 40 per cent in South Africa. The reasons are clear: unequal access to early detection, timely diagnosis, and effective treatment.
If current trends remain unchecked, both incidence and mortality are projected to rise by 40 per cent by 2050. To address this, the WHO established the Global Breast Cancer Initiative in 2021, working with partners to strengthen health systems and reduce preventable deaths worldwide.
The situation in Ghana
In Ghana, breast cancer poses a particularly pressing public health concern. It is the most common cancer among women, accounting for about 15 per cent of all malignancies.
Studies reveal a troubling trend: almost 70 per cent of women are diagnosed at advanced stages, where treatment options are limited and survival rates much lower. In 2012, nearly half of Ghanaian women diagnosed with breast cancer lost their lives to the disease.
These statistics point to late presentation, cultural stigma, and limited access to screening facilities as some of the key factors fuelling high mortality.
Experts warn that unless more women come forward for early screening and timely treatment, these figures may remain stubbornly high.
Executive Secretary of the Breast Cancer Society of Ghana (BCSG), Mrs Georgina Kumah-Dzagah, said the numbers are not just statistics, they represent lived experiences. A survivor herself, she knows first-hand the difference early detection and treatment can make.
“My journey could have ended differently if I had ignored the early signs,” she reflected. “That is why the theme ‘Catch it early, treat it right, survive it’ is not just a slogan to me. It is a lifeline that can save countless women.”
Mrs Kumah-Dzagah believes awareness is the first weapon in the fight. She stresses that women must be proactive, know their bodies, and act quickly when something feels unusual.
“A lump, nipple discharge, or changes in the skin should never be ignored or treated with fear and silence,” she explained. “Hospitals and screening centres are there to help us, not to harm us. Early detection gives the best chance for a cure.”
The Executive Secretary also raised concern about the role of misinformation and reliance on untested remedies saying, too often, delays and misplaced trust in alternative cures cost lives.
“Treating it right means trusting science and trained professionals,” she stressed. “Modern treatment -whether surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or hormone therapy -may be tough, but it saves lives. I went through these treatments myself, and though the journey was not easy, I am living proof that treatment works when given at the right time.”
Her message resonates strongly in a society where cultural beliefs sometimes discourage women from seeking hospital care, and myths about breast cancer fuel stigma.
For Mrs Kumah-Dzagah, survival is not simply about conquering the disease. It is also about reclaiming life, hope, and purpose.
“Breast cancer is not a death sentence,” she affirmed. “Survivorship comes with challenges, but it also brings strength. Today, I speak not just for myself but for every woman still in the fight.”
A call for collective action
Mrs Kumah-Dzagah believes that breaking the silence and stigma around breast health is critical. She called on women, families, and communities to support open conversations and proactive health checks.
She said “let us be bold to check, quick to act, and committed to supporting each other. If we catch it early and treat it right, we will surely survive it.”
She said, BCSG continues to lead nationwide campaigns to create awareness, encourage screening, and support patients and survivors.
Through advocacy and education, the organisation, she said reminds women that vigilance, timely treatment, and community support can turn the tide against breast cancer.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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For many young women who gathered at last week’s military recruitment exercise, the day was supposed to mark the beginning of a long-awaited dream built on discipline, sacrifice, and the quiet determination to prove that women too can serve, protect, and rise through the ranks of the Ghana Armed Forces. But that dream was shattered when tragedy struck.
Among the crowd were young women who had travelled from distant towns, some clutching envelopes of documents, others holding on to borrowed hope and borrowed money. Many had always believed that the Ghana Armed Forces was one of the few institutions that did not discriminate against their gender. They joined thousands of hopefuls, standing shoulder-to-shoulder under the burning sun, anticipation tightening their chests.
Yet, for six of these young women, the day ended in the unthinkable. They lost their lives in the stampede at El-Wak Sports Stadium, a devastating blow to families, friends, and the nation. Their deaths have left a permanent scar on the dreams they carried and on the community that watched helplessly as hope collided with chaos.
Women caught in the chaos later recounted how panic surged through the crowd. Some were pushed off balance, others struggled to breathe, and a few held on desperately to friends so they would not be swallowed by the moving wave of bodies. Their voices trembled not only from shock but from the fear they had long carried within—the fear of being unseen, unheard, and unprotected.
Unlike their male counterparts, who often approach recruitment with the boldness society readily grants them, many women arrive at such exercises already battling stereotypes. They must first win the silent argument that they belong there. The tragedy, therefore, did not only claim lives and injuries; it magnified the fears women carry even before they step through the recruitment gates.
For some, the military represented their only escape from unemployment and the frustrations of being a young woman seeking stable work in Ghana. That is why they endured the heat, the long queues, and the packed grounds because the uniform symbolized fairness, dignity, and a chance to rewrite their stories.
As families mourn and survivors nurse their wounds, one truth stands out: women’s aspirations must be protected with the same seriousness afforded their male peers. Their courage to defy gender norms should be met with proper safety measures, clear organisation, and a recruitment environment that does not put them at unnecessary risk.
The tragedy has reminded the nation that behind every applicant is a story of sacrifice, hope, family expectations, and for many women, the desire to claim space in fields traditionally reserved for men. These human stories should guide future reforms, and for that reason, gender-sensitive policies must no longer be an afterthought.
It is against this backdrop that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Monday announced the resumption of its 2025/2026 recruitment exercise in the Greater Accra Region, following the temporary suspension after the stampede on Wednesday, November 12, at the El-Wak Sports Stadium.
In a statement cited by The Spectator and signed by the Acting Director General of Public Relations, Captain (Ghana Navy) Veronica Adzo Arhin, GAF explained that the reinstated process will now take place across eight sub-centres. These include the El-Wak Stadium and Nicholson Park at Burma Camp, which will each have two centres. The Air Force Base at Burma Camp and the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Teshie will also each host two centres, while the Eastern Naval Command in Tema will have one.
To ensure smooth screening and reduce congestion, applicants will report in batches of 600, with each individual receiving an SMS specifying their reporting date, batch number, and designated centre.
Even with the revised measures, one concern remains: women’s safety in crowded public spaces must be intentionally prioritised, not assumed under the banner of military discipline. Clearer communication, structured queuing systems, better crowd control, constant medical presence, and trained crisis responders are not luxuries—they are necessities.
Beyond logistics, there must also be recognition that women’s experiences of fear, vulnerability, and danger differ from men—not because they are weaker, but because society has conditioned the environment to be harsher toward them. For every female applicant to any of the security services, there is a story of resistance against stereotypes, limited opportunities, whispered doubts, and unspoken fears.
These stories must shape the reforms that follow, ensuring that young women can pursue the uniform not with fear, but with confidence and dignity. And as the nation continues to mourn the six young women whose lives were lost, the hope remains that lessons learned from this tragedy will safeguard the dreams of those who step forward next, so their courage is met with the order, protection, and respect it deserves.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, GIZ, and AYA Integrated Healthcare Initiative, has launched the 1st National Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Research Conference in Ghana, on the theme: Advancing Ghana’s NCDs Research Agenda Towards Attaining Primary Healthcare Goals.
The conference aimed to deliberate on the development of a National NCD Research Agenda for Ghana and to produce evidence briefs to inform policy decisions on NCDs, promote multidisciplinary collaborative research, and guide interventions to strengthen the healthcare system for the prevention and control of NCDs in Ghana.
Dr. Hafez Adam Taher, representing the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, highlighted their shared commitment to strengthening research, improving data quality, and integrating evidence into health policy and primary healthcare practice.
He underscore the conference as an important platform to convert research findings into actionable policy, build a strong network between Ghanaians and International NCD researchers, enhance national policy for data collection and knowledge generation, develop a National NCD Research Agenda that aligns with the sector’s strategic priorities including the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares), free Primary Health Care and the Universal Health Coverage roadmap.
Mr.Akandoh commended the partners, especially GIZ, for their continuous support and acknowledged the dedication of local research institutions in generating the evidence needed to develop contextually appropriate solutions.
He urged them to deepen their collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to ensure that research transcends academic outcomes and becomes the backbone of policymaking.
Dr. Kwame Amponsah Achiano in his delivery on behalf of the Director-General, GHS, Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, said research can improve NCD care in the country through early detection and clinical health, strengthen health systems and policy and support monitoring, evaluation and accountability.
He concluded that the fight against NCD would be won through knowledge, research that informs practice, transforming systems and saving lives.
