Kofi Ampeah Woode
Headquarters, Southern Command (HQ S/COMD), in collaboration with the Kpeshie Medical Center (KMC), has held a breast cancer awareness campaign at Kpeshie Ridge and Wajir Barracks of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The event held on Friday 25 October, 2024, forms part of efforts by the GAF Medical Services (GAFMS) to create awareness, and advocacy against breast cancer among soldiers and their families in the barracks, and the need to take adequate steps to initiate early detection, prevention, and management of the disease.
The event commenced with a route march of military personnel and their families from the Oppong-Peprah Square at HQ S/COMD, carrying placards and banners depicting messages of breast cancer awareness amid brass band music, through Whistler and Wajir barracks, all at the Teshie Camp.
The guest speaker at the event, and Head of Pharmaceutical Services and Oncology at the International Maritime Hospital (IMAH) – Dr Marc Kwame Dzradosi (PharmD), indicated that breast cancer occurs almost entirely among women, however, a small percentage of men are also susceptible to the disease, hence the need for a concerted effort to fight the disease.
He bemoaned the rampant canker of stigmatization against persons living with breast cancer, saying; “The desire to eliminate breast cancer has become subservient to the stigmatization that has arisen in our society as if the whole society is apprehensive that breast cancer is infectious so if one has it, you will have it”.
Dr Dzrakosi stressed that stigma against persons with breast cancer impacts negatively on their psycho-social well-being, and therefore urged all to demystify their minds of the negativity surrounding the disease.
He reiterated that breast cancer is real, and presents symptoms such as skin dimpling and discolouration around the breast area, bloody discharge, lumps and pain in the breast, which is completely treatable if diagnosed early, with surgery, medicine and chemotherapy, coupled with healthy dieting.
For her part, the Nursing Officer in Charge (NOIC), Medical Pool for 5 Garrison – Colonel (Col) Patience Awumee indicated that GAFMS annually, as part of the global breast cancer awareness month in October, conducts a campaign to create awareness on the disease, and provides advocacy for screening and management.
She opined that the effects of Westernization, artificial sweeteners in food, and lifestyle modifications among Ghanaians, have contributed to the prevalence of breast cancer among the Ghanaian populace, and advocated for self-breast examination and periodic screening, to detect and manage such situations early.
The Chief of Nursing and Midwifery at the 37 Military Hospital – Col Patience Owusu-Aidoo; the NOIC, Surgical Division, 37 Military Hospital – Capt (GN) Ocansey, as well as other medical officials, were present at the event.
Credit: S/COMD PR
