Wa – A physician at Ridge Hospital in Accra, Dr Jonathan Juwerie, has called for intensive public education about breast cancer in underprivileged communities across the country.

He said it was important for women in rural and disadvantaged communities to have a better understanding of the causes, symptoms and prevention of the disease in order to better protect themselves against it.

The doctor made the call during a free breast cancer screening organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in the community of Gbetuori in the Jirapa municipality of the Upper West region.

The program offered women and girls in the community the opportunity to screen for the disease, while educating them about the causes and possible preventive measures of breast cancer.

Dr Juwerie said educating women to understand the disease would help eliminate negative perceptions and encourage women to seek treatment early, adding that they would be able to self-examine their breasts for signs and symptoms. of the disease.

He encouraged women to visit hospitals regularly for check-ups because early detection is the surest way to fight breast cancer.

Dr Juwerie said the lack of support from men had become a major challenge and said it was time men understood the important role they played in women’s lives.

He advised women to see a doctor if they noticed any lump, swelling, redness and darkening, change in size, dimples and nipple discharge in the breast, as early detection of breast cancer was important. to save lives.

Mr. Matthias Berthold, Project Manager-Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH), said that GIZ was ready to partner with private organizations to promote the delivery of quality health care, and urged women to the region to take advantage of the exercise to know their status.

He urged members, especially women, not to take any breast change lightly but to report promptly to a health facility and urged participants to extend education to their communities to ensure that no woman dies of breast cancer.

The project leader explained that the screening also aims to educate women in the community on how to detect abnormalities in their breasts at an early stage.

He urged women to adopt healthy lifestyles to reduce their risk of contracting the disease and advised those who already have it to adhere to prescribed treatment.