The French Chamber of Commerce in Ghana (CCIFG) has, in collaboration with its partners — MDS-Lancet, Quest Medical Imaging and International SOS — organised a two-phase ultrasound and mammography screening for 45 women.
It was part of the chamber’s corporate social responsibility.
The first phase benefitted 20 members of OAfrica (OA), a non-governmental organisation in Ghana with the goal of rescuing vulnerable children and young adults in need of care and to reunite them with their families.
The second phase covered 25 women whose abnormalities were detected during a free breast screening exercise at the Makola market organised by Euracare Ghana.
The programme was part of efforts by the CCIFG to support the prevention of breast cancer which affected 2.3 million women globally in 2020, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In both events, International SOS, a healthcare, medical assistance and security services company, took the beneficiaries through a health education talk.
Tackling cancers
The Managing Director of CCIFG, Armelle Sae-Jeanne, said, “I come from an island, Martinique, which sadly breaks the record of cumulating the highest rates of breast cancer and prostate cancer.
“A lot of pedagogy still needs to be done everywhere for women to be well informed and regularly undergo medical examinations, because breast cancer is not a question of age or race, and prevention is key when it comes to this deadly disease. If our actions contribute to helping even one woman to detect this disease at an early stage, then we have accomplished our mission.”
Self-examination
A medical officer and women’s health advocate from International SOS, Dr Vanessa Atikpui, took the women through how to perform breast self-examination.
She mentioned that most cases of breast cancer were first detected by the patients themselves.
She added, “A good lifestyle also plays a role in prevention against cancer as smoking, drinking, obesity and sedentary lifestyles have been identified as toxic behaviours.”