• Kanieshie Market Complex, the venue for the breast cancer screening

Breast Cancer is one of the topical medical adversaries the world is facing today. It occurs in women and rarely in men. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685, 000 deaths globally in 2020.

As of the end of 2020, the WHO said there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, making it the world’s most prevalent cancer.

This means that the disease is endemic to women, which gives credence to the sensitivity of this cancer towards women.

For this reason, The Spectator, Your Weekend Companion, is beginning a breast cancer campaign this October (Breast Cancer Month) to create awareness on the dangers of the disease to women in particular, who coincidentally align with the brand personality of the newspaper.

Breast Cancer has reached national and global prominence because of its traumatic and potentially devastating effect on women. The Spectator Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, therefore, will be under the theme, “Life Before and After Breast Cancer: A future of Positivity and Hope.”

Objectives of the Campaign

The Spectator, a uniquely feminist health conscious brand, supported by its socially responsible organisation, the New Times Corporation, publishers of our newspaper as well as Ghanaian Times, intends to use the month-long campaign to educate the public on early symptoms and signs of Breast Cancer; preventive measures, diagnostic and treatment centres; the measures put in place for early detection; the various options available for cure; and also to assist in the management of patients of Breast Cancer, among others.

Events for the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign

There will be four main events for the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, and these include the unveiling of campaign in The Spectator, breast screening at the Kaneshie Market Complex, Talk at Labone Senior High School and articles in the newspaper.

Breast Cancer Screening

The Breast Cancer Screening would be held on Thursday, October 6, 2022, at 11:a.m. and Friday, October 7, 2022, at 10:a.m. It would be preceded by an opening ceremony at the first floor of the Kaneshie Market Complex on October 6 at 10:a.m. to officially unveil the campaign.

Medical doctors and nurses from Kaneshie Medical Centre and Kaneshie Polyclinic would be present to perform the screening. About 600 women are expected to go through the two-day breast cancer screening.

Dignitaries to attend

Dignitaries expected to grace the opening ceremony are the Minister-designate of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, Country Representative of World Health Organisation (WHO), and Managing Director of New Times Corporation, Mr Martin Adu Owusu, to mention a few.

Talk on Breast Cancer

Experts from WHO Ghana, Ghana Health Service (GHS) and Ladybits Health and Wellness Clinic would educate students of Labone Senior High (SHS) and other students in Accra on Breast Cancer at the Labone SHS campus on Friday, October 21, 2022, at 1:p.m.

Coverage

The Spectator would do extensive publications of the month-long Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. Articles on breast cancer written by health experts and other authors with knowledge of the disease will be featured in the paper. The coverage of the two main events (Breast Cancer screening at Kaneshie Market Complex and talks at Labone Senior High School) will also be published in both The Spectator and the Ghanaian Times.

Partners

The Campaign is organised by the New Times Corporation in partnership with WHO (lead partners), Labone School Senior High School, Unichem Ghana Group, Kaneshie Market Complex, Kaneshie Medical Centre, Kaneshie Polyclinic, and Cheezzy Pizza.

A lot of information on Breast Cancer is in store (in The Spectator) for readers throughout the month. Book your copies in advance.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme