‘Move fight against cervical cancer beyond awareness’

THE Founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, Mrs Fafa Gozo, has called for urgent collective action to end cervical cancer, describing the disease as both a major public health threat and one of the most preventable cancers affecting women.

In an interview with The Spectator in Accra after celebrating Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in January, Mrs Gozo stressed that the fight against cervical cancer should move beyond awareness to concrete action.

Highlighting the burden of the disease in Africa, Mrs Gozo noted that cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women on the continent, despite being largely preventable through early detection and timely treatment.

“With regular screening, precancerous changes can be detected early. With timely treatment, lives can be saved. And with collective effort, we can defeat cervical cancer as a public health threat,” the address stated.

Mrs Gozo who is also a breast cancer survivor said the tragedy was not the existence of cervical cancer, but the persistent barriers that deny many women access to information, screening services and treatment.

“The tragedy is that too many women are denied the knowledge, tools and care that could save them,” she said, calling on government agencies, health professionals, civil society and the private sector to work together to close the gaps.

She explained the foundation was established to merge advocacy with creativity, and healing with hope adding that through its work, the foundation seeks to empower women and girls through education, wellness initiatives and creative entrepreneurship, while tackling stigma surrounding women’s health.

She said as part of creating awareness of the disease, her foundation will roll out a series of programmes including free and accessible screening campaigns, survivor testimonies to inspire courage, community education to dismantle myths and stigma, and strategic partnerships to expand access to treatment.

“We are not here to simply raise awareness; we are here to change outcomes,” Mrs Gozo emphasised.

She expressed gratitude to volunteers, medical professionals, sponsors and community leaders who continue to support the Foundation’s mission, describing them as “the lifeblood of this movement.”

By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu

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