Hot SourceBy Patrick Biddah
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting early detection, timely diagnosis and quality treatment for breast cancer across the country, as part of activities marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2025.
Delivering a speech on behalf of the Acting Director-General of the GHS, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea in Accra on October 28, 2025, the Service expressed strong solidarity with all partners , including the Ministry of Health, the Non-Communicable Diseases Unit, civil society organizations and faith-based groups that are working together to reduce the burden of breast cancer in Ghana.
Dr Akoriyea emphasized that breast cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer in Ghana, accounting for nearly one in every five cancer cases.
In 2022 alone, the country recorded about 4,026 new cases and 2,369 deaths with many detected at advanced stages when treatment becomes more difficult.
He outlined the Service’s three-pronged strategy for breast health which he said include integrating breast health into routine primary care, ensuring clinical breast examinations at CHPS compounds, health centres and outpatient departments, particularly for women aged 40 and above.
He said there was the need for the strengthening of diagnostics and treatment readiness by expanding access to ultrasound, biopsy, pathology, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy services in regional and teaching hospitals.
According to him, the awareness can be more effective by mobilising communities and partners through education campaigns in local languages as well as holding health talks at workplace .
Dr Akoriyea who spoke on a wide range of issues also indicated that wellness programmes and collaborations with market queens and faith-based groups can go a long way to reducing the late detection and diagnosis of the disease.
“Our message is simple,” Dr Akoriyea said. “If a provider finds a lump, the health system must move swiftly for biopsy to confirm and treat.”
He added that under the Health Sector Initiatives of President John Dramani Mahama, including the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares) and the proposed Free Primary Health Care policy, significant financial barriers to essential health services will soon be removed.
At the event, Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, Chairperson for the occasion, urged women to take breast health seriously.
“If you feel a lump, nipple discharge, or any change in the breast, do not wait. Do not self-medicate or massage it away. Visit a clinic early because early detection saves lives,” she advised.
She further called on husbands, sons and employers to encourage and support women in seeking regular screening, saying, “When families and workplaces make care easier, outcomes improve significantly.”
The post Ghana Health Service renews commitment to early breast cancer detection appeared first on The Herald ghana.
