The Programme Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) of Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr William Bosu, has called for intensive efforts to create awareness about cancers, which he said had assumed a relatively higher burden in the country compared to the past.
He said globally, cancer killed lot of people more than many diseases pooled together and pointed out that although 40 per cent of cancers were curable, one third could be prevented, and another one third managed, early detection, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancers and new cases had remained a huge challenge.
Dr Bosu made the call at a seminar held in recently on the theme: “Together We Can Overcome Cancer”, to commemorate World Cancer Day.
The programme was also held to create more awareness on the disease, as well as on the various types of cancers and how to alleviate problems associated with the disease.
The seminar was organised by the Cancer Society of Ghana, in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre in Accra, the Ghana Health Service and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to Dr Bosu, 60 per cent of deaths in Africa were caused by non-communicable diseases, of which cancers formed part and pointed out that about 16,000 new cases of cancers are recorded every year in the country.
He said there was the need for intensive awareness-creation campaign on the disease, while doctors and health specialists also perform their respective roles in treating patients.
The Head of the Surgery Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Prof. Joe Nat Clegg-Lamptey, said about 2000 women in Ghana are diagnosed with breast cancers annually, out of which a number of deaths are recorded.
He said last year, 250 new cases of breast cancer were recorded at the surgical Out Patient Department (OPD) of the Korle Bu Teaching hospital (KBTH), with most people who had it aged between 40 and 49, adding that only two per cent of men in Ghana acquire breast cancer, which signifies that women are mostly at risk of the disease.
Prof. Clegg-Lamptey stated that unlike previous years when breast cancer used to be diagnosed among women between the ages of 40 to 49, currently, young women between the ages of 20 and to 24 were being diagnosed with the disease, describing the situation as very alarming.
He said most patients reported with the disease at an advanced stage, adding that the fear of mastectomy (surgical operation to remove the breast) had also hindered people from reporting to hospitals on time for treatment.
In her lecture on cervical cancer, Dr Sylvia Deganus, a Gynaecologist at the Tema General Hospital announced that from the year 2003 to 2011, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) alone recorded 1290 out of 4497 cervical cancer cases in the country and advised women to go for regular screening for early detection of the disease.
“Symptoms of cervical cancer do not show at its initial stages, but only show when the disease has started and spread all over the cervix which cannot be seen due to its location on the part of the body”, she said.
A paediatrician of the KBTH, Dr Alexandra Osafo said as of January 31, this year, 18 new cases of childhood cancers have been recorded at the KBTH and advised parents not to be their own doctors by detecting diseases for their children at home, but rather take them to the hospital for early detection and treatment.
A Public Health Specialist at the KBTH, Dr Benedict N.L Calys-Tagoe spoke about the importance of a cancer registry in the country and explained that the lack of such facility, which is needed to generate hypothesis of aetiology, geographic and temporal variation of cancers in the country, had affected data collection on cancers.
Thursday 9 February 2012
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Akwapim Mampong, Osu to celebrate Tetteh Quarshie
The two rulers, Nii Nortey Owuo III, the Chief of Osu, and Osabarima Kwame Otu Darte III, the Chief of Akwapim Mampong, at a ceremony to begin a year-long programme this year in memory of Tetteh Quarshie, called on the government and the people of Ghana to celebrate and commemorate Tetteh Quarshie for the honour he did the country.
Tetteh Quarshie was a pre-independence Ghanaian agriculturist who first introduced the cocoa crop to the country in 1879 by planting its seeds on his farm on his return from Fernando Po. The crop has since become the bedrock of the country’s economy.
He was also the most successful entrepreneur the country had ever produced.
On his return to the country, Tetteh Quarshie planted the seeds in Accra but they did not yield any fruits. He, therefore, decided to go back to Mampong, where he worked as a blacksmith, to plant the cocoa beans and they were successful.
Many equally important historic Ghanaians who have contributed to the country’s development have always been remembered and celebrated, but, according to the chiefs, Tetteh Quarshie had not been given the needed commemoration.
The cocoa crop he brought to the country has become a major export crop of the Ghanaian economy.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nii Owuo stated that cocoa had been of help in sustaining the country’s development, for which reason the one who first introduced it into the country needed to be remembered.
He also stated that had it not been Tetteh Quarshie who brought the crop to Ghana, the nation would have suffered greatly, despite the oil production.
“Even if we have found oil, oil cannot do what cocoa has done for the country,” he said.
He expressed his gratitude to the Mamponghene, who had brought up the initiative, and paid him (Nii Owuo) a visit as well to discuss how and what should be done in memory of Tetteh Quarshie.
Nii Owuo further advised the youth of Osu and all Ghanaians to uphold the unity between Osu and Mampong Akwapim and urged other chiefs and people in the country to emulate what the two chiefs of Osu and Mampong Akuapem had done to bring peace and unity among all ethnic groups and Ghanaians.
Osabarima Darte stated that there was the need for a day to be set aside to celebrate and commemorate Tetteh Quarshie and appealed to all Ghanaians and the government to help in making that possible, since Tetteh Quarshie had contributed greatly to the nation’s economic growth.
After the celebrations, the two chiefs made a public announcement of their intention to join hands to celebrate the life of Tetteh Quarshie and equally use it as an opportunity to bring the people of Mampong Akuapem and Osu together.
A joint committee has been set up, together with other stakeholders, to plan year-long activities and programmes to celebrate Tetteh Quarshie and commemorate over a century of his legacy, the cocoa industry.
Among some of the major activities and programmes planned for the celebration are a memorial and thanksgiving service at the Presbyterian Church, the Tetteh Quarshie memorial lectures, a business seminar on leadership and enterprises development and the Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Festival to be held at Mampong Akuapem.
A spokesperson for the interim planning committee said the committee would engage other stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ghana Cocoa Board and several other industry players, together with the family of Tetteh Quarshie.
Veep warns: Those who indulge in double registration will be exposed
THE Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has urged the clergy to admonish their church members to avoid double registration when the biometric registration exercise begins in March this year.
He said the biometric register would capture biological and personal data of all registered voters and, therefore, any registered voter who would attempt to register twice would be exposed and consequently prosecuted.
Mr Mahama made the appeal at the induction service for executive members of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) in Accra yesterday.
The executive members are Apostle Dr Opoku Onyinah, the President of the GPCC and Chairman of the Church of Pentecost; Rev Sam Korankye Ankrah, the First Vice-President of the GPCC and Founder and Apostle General of the Royalhouse Chapel International; Apostle Ebenezer Nsesa Abebrese, the President of the Apostolic Church, Ghana, and Rev Dr Paul Yaw Frimpong-Manso, the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana.
The ceremony was attended by reverend ministers, pastors, representatives of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, and the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rev Prof Mike Oquaye, who represented the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo.
The executive has a five-year mandate to carry out the mission of the GPCC, which includes maintaining high standards of the Christian doctrine and promoting good relationships between member churches and other organisations in Ghana and the world at large.
The Vice-President said the 10 fingerprints and eyelids of registered voters would be taken during the biometric registration exercise.
Therefore, he said, it would be difficult for anybody to either register twice or vote twice and indicated that the system would automatically delete the data of whoever wanted to register more than once.
Mr Mahama asked all eligible persons to register during the exercise, since it was their civic responsibility.
Besides, he said, it was crucial for all qualified persons to vote during the December presidential and parliamentary elections to influence the selection of people to lead the country.
He said Ghana had been touted as a model of democracy in Africa and for that reason Ghana was expected to meet higher standards during this year’s election.
He affirmed the government’s commitment to support the Electoral Commission (EC) with all the needed resources and support to organise free, transparent and peaceful elections.
The Vice-President said God had blessed the country with peace but cautioned Ghanaians not to take that peace for granted.
What Ghanaians should do, he said, was jealously protect the peace by championing efforts at promoting peace and development in the country.
He particularly asked the clergy to be neutral in their utterances to ensure peace among their congregations.
Mr Mahama was concerned that modernisation and Westernisation had eroded the country’s value system to the extent that respect for the elderly had gone down.
He said the fact that Ghana was a secular state did not mean that the government should not condemn social decadence and promote good moral values, noting that although many Western countries had developed economically, the moral fibre of those societies had deteriorated.
He, therefore, charged the clergy to partner the government to restore the country’s cultural and moral values.
In his address, Apostle Dr Onyinah condemned the politics of insults and unproved allegations against perceived political opponents, saying that phenomenon “poses grave danger to the future of our country and the peaceful conduct of the 2012 general election”.
He, therefore, appealed to political parties to avoid activities and pronouncements that could incite violence.
“We wish to recommend to our political leaders to sanction their followers who resort to this unfortunate behaviour,” he said.
Apostle Dr Onyinah said as its contribution to a peaceful general election, the GPCC would soon launch a programme dubbed, ‘PLUS-Ghana (Peace, Love, Unity, Stability in Ghana).
The Vice-Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rt Rev Francis Amenu, charged the new executive members to work as a team and avoid breaking their front.
He said the biometric register would capture biological and personal data of all registered voters and, therefore, any registered voter who would attempt to register twice would be exposed and consequently prosecuted.
Mr Mahama made the appeal at the induction service for executive members of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC) in Accra yesterday.
The executive members are Apostle Dr Opoku Onyinah, the President of the GPCC and Chairman of the Church of Pentecost; Rev Sam Korankye Ankrah, the First Vice-President of the GPCC and Founder and Apostle General of the Royalhouse Chapel International; Apostle Ebenezer Nsesa Abebrese, the President of the Apostolic Church, Ghana, and Rev Dr Paul Yaw Frimpong-Manso, the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana.
The ceremony was attended by reverend ministers, pastors, representatives of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, and the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rev Prof Mike Oquaye, who represented the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo.
The executive has a five-year mandate to carry out the mission of the GPCC, which includes maintaining high standards of the Christian doctrine and promoting good relationships between member churches and other organisations in Ghana and the world at large.
The Vice-President said the 10 fingerprints and eyelids of registered voters would be taken during the biometric registration exercise.
Therefore, he said, it would be difficult for anybody to either register twice or vote twice and indicated that the system would automatically delete the data of whoever wanted to register more than once.
Mr Mahama asked all eligible persons to register during the exercise, since it was their civic responsibility.
Besides, he said, it was crucial for all qualified persons to vote during the December presidential and parliamentary elections to influence the selection of people to lead the country.
He said Ghana had been touted as a model of democracy in Africa and for that reason Ghana was expected to meet higher standards during this year’s election.
He affirmed the government’s commitment to support the Electoral Commission (EC) with all the needed resources and support to organise free, transparent and peaceful elections.
The Vice-President said God had blessed the country with peace but cautioned Ghanaians not to take that peace for granted.
What Ghanaians should do, he said, was jealously protect the peace by championing efforts at promoting peace and development in the country.
He particularly asked the clergy to be neutral in their utterances to ensure peace among their congregations.
Mr Mahama was concerned that modernisation and Westernisation had eroded the country’s value system to the extent that respect for the elderly had gone down.
He said the fact that Ghana was a secular state did not mean that the government should not condemn social decadence and promote good moral values, noting that although many Western countries had developed economically, the moral fibre of those societies had deteriorated.
He, therefore, charged the clergy to partner the government to restore the country’s cultural and moral values.
In his address, Apostle Dr Onyinah condemned the politics of insults and unproved allegations against perceived political opponents, saying that phenomenon “poses grave danger to the future of our country and the peaceful conduct of the 2012 general election”.
He, therefore, appealed to political parties to avoid activities and pronouncements that could incite violence.
“We wish to recommend to our political leaders to sanction their followers who resort to this unfortunate behaviour,” he said.
Apostle Dr Onyinah said as its contribution to a peaceful general election, the GPCC would soon launch a programme dubbed, ‘PLUS-Ghana (Peace, Love, Unity, Stability in Ghana).
The Vice-Chairman of the Christian Council of Ghana, Rt Rev Francis Amenu, charged the new executive members to work as a team and avoid breaking their front.
PZ Cussons launches Adwadifo Susu Scheme
PZ Cussons Limited has launched an initiative, “Adwadifo Susu Scheme,” to reward its loyal and committed customers at the end of every six months, starting from next month.
The scheme will be implemented by investing the commission to be gained by wholesalers and distributors on purchased goods that cost GH¢1,000 or more into a bank account, with interest paid to them at the end of every six months.
According to the Area Sales Manager for the Greater Accra Region, Mr Alfred Eson Neizer Jnr, this will be a separate remuneration besides the three per cent commission the customers receive whenever they purchase goods.
Speaking at the PZ Wholesaler Treasure Jackpot Awards ceremony and the launch of the Adwadifo Susu Scheme in Accra, Mr Neizer called on all wholesalers and distributors of general goods to partner with PZ Cussons to do a profitable business, adding that “traders will not regret when they do business with us because we will help them gain more profit by investing in the profit they gain monthly.”
He stated that the Adwadifo Susu Scheme would help secure another monthly commission to be gained by the customers who purchased some targeted amounts of goods and that would be invested into treasury bills to yield more profit for the customers.
Mr Neizer also said that PZ Cussons was bent on improving the lives of their customers as well as all Ghanaians with a variety of products that would suit the needs of all.
The Wholesaler Treasure Jackpot is an award scheme set to reward loyal customers who purchase goods from PZ Cussons Limited.
It started in November last year and is to run for a six-month period before awards are given out.
Thirty-five wholesaler-customers of PZ goods won various awards such as microwaves, standing fans, pressing irons, Multi TV satellites decoders, and sets of cooking wares.
Another set of the awards is to be given to 40 more wholesalers in Tema to end the PZ Wholesaler Treasure Jackpot Awards for the Greater Accra Region.
The scheme will be implemented by investing the commission to be gained by wholesalers and distributors on purchased goods that cost GH¢1,000 or more into a bank account, with interest paid to them at the end of every six months.
According to the Area Sales Manager for the Greater Accra Region, Mr Alfred Eson Neizer Jnr, this will be a separate remuneration besides the three per cent commission the customers receive whenever they purchase goods.
Speaking at the PZ Wholesaler Treasure Jackpot Awards ceremony and the launch of the Adwadifo Susu Scheme in Accra, Mr Neizer called on all wholesalers and distributors of general goods to partner with PZ Cussons to do a profitable business, adding that “traders will not regret when they do business with us because we will help them gain more profit by investing in the profit they gain monthly.”
He stated that the Adwadifo Susu Scheme would help secure another monthly commission to be gained by the customers who purchased some targeted amounts of goods and that would be invested into treasury bills to yield more profit for the customers.
Mr Neizer also said that PZ Cussons was bent on improving the lives of their customers as well as all Ghanaians with a variety of products that would suit the needs of all.
The Wholesaler Treasure Jackpot is an award scheme set to reward loyal customers who purchase goods from PZ Cussons Limited.
It started in November last year and is to run for a six-month period before awards are given out.
Thirty-five wholesaler-customers of PZ goods won various awards such as microwaves, standing fans, pressing irons, Multi TV satellites decoders, and sets of cooking wares.
Another set of the awards is to be given to 40 more wholesalers in Tema to end the PZ Wholesaler Treasure Jackpot Awards for the Greater Accra Region.
ONE thousand jobs are to be created for Diploma and degree holders, as well as school levers to help develop their competencies in enterpreneural skills.
Another ten thousand Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) are also to be reached out to within three years of operation of the Tradeline Consult (TLC).
The lead partner of TLC, Mr Samuel Zeph Atiemo,announced this at a business seminar held by the company for the youth and business minded people in Accra.
Thirty five people participated and benefited from the seminar which was on the theme, “Goal setting for business growth”.
TLC is a company that provide services to SMEs in Financial Management, Business Planning, Strategic Planning, Training in Customer Care, Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship, Sales and Marketing, Business and Management Coaching, Motivational Business Seminars and Feasibility Studies.
Mr Atiemo attributed failure of most SMEs and young people to their unability of setting clear goals for their businesses.
He also stated that the only solution to personal success and business growth was goal setting, which when not attached with fear will go a long way to help improve the lives of many Ghanaians.
Mr Atiemo affirmed that goal setting gives direction to people’s lives and businesses and make them more efficient and fulfilled, thereby helping them overcome procrastination which later brings confidence and joy to that person.
Setting unrealistic goals, focusing on too few areas and not appreciating failure, he said, was some common mistakes people made when setting goals.
He therefore advised Ghanaians especially the youth to take note of such mistakes to help develop their business and bring success to their businesses.
TLC has also proposed to graduate 30 per cent of its clients from micro to small scale enterprises,20 per cent into medium scale enterprises, 10 per cent into large scale business enterprises, as well as to provide training to 1,000 professionals in diverse business sectors of the economy.
Mr Eric Agyare, a consultant of SNV (Netherlands Developments Organisation) told participants at the seminar that available funds from the Business Development Services Fund (BDSF), provides matching grants to qualified businesses for growth and service improvement.
Mr Agyare clarified that the BDSF is a business assistance fund set up by Government with support from the World Bank to support micro, small and medium scale enterprises, with a total expenditure of $2,800,000 to disburse during its existence.
He explained that for a business to have access to the BDSF, it needed to get 50 per cent of the total amount needed to grow the business, before the BDSF could also add the other 50 per cent.
He further advised individuals and business entities that had difficulty raising the required 50 per cent to form groups to access the 50 per cent fund needed,by collating their resources to enable them benefit from the BDSF.
Another ten thousand Small and Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) are also to be reached out to within three years of operation of the Tradeline Consult (TLC).
The lead partner of TLC, Mr Samuel Zeph Atiemo,announced this at a business seminar held by the company for the youth and business minded people in Accra.
Thirty five people participated and benefited from the seminar which was on the theme, “Goal setting for business growth”.
TLC is a company that provide services to SMEs in Financial Management, Business Planning, Strategic Planning, Training in Customer Care, Agribusiness and Entrepreneurship, Sales and Marketing, Business and Management Coaching, Motivational Business Seminars and Feasibility Studies.
Mr Atiemo attributed failure of most SMEs and young people to their unability of setting clear goals for their businesses.
He also stated that the only solution to personal success and business growth was goal setting, which when not attached with fear will go a long way to help improve the lives of many Ghanaians.
Mr Atiemo affirmed that goal setting gives direction to people’s lives and businesses and make them more efficient and fulfilled, thereby helping them overcome procrastination which later brings confidence and joy to that person.
Setting unrealistic goals, focusing on too few areas and not appreciating failure, he said, was some common mistakes people made when setting goals.
He therefore advised Ghanaians especially the youth to take note of such mistakes to help develop their business and bring success to their businesses.
TLC has also proposed to graduate 30 per cent of its clients from micro to small scale enterprises,20 per cent into medium scale enterprises, 10 per cent into large scale business enterprises, as well as to provide training to 1,000 professionals in diverse business sectors of the economy.
Mr Eric Agyare, a consultant of SNV (Netherlands Developments Organisation) told participants at the seminar that available funds from the Business Development Services Fund (BDSF), provides matching grants to qualified businesses for growth and service improvement.
Mr Agyare clarified that the BDSF is a business assistance fund set up by Government with support from the World Bank to support micro, small and medium scale enterprises, with a total expenditure of $2,800,000 to disburse during its existence.
He explained that for a business to have access to the BDSF, it needed to get 50 per cent of the total amount needed to grow the business, before the BDSF could also add the other 50 per cent.
He further advised individuals and business entities that had difficulty raising the required 50 per cent to form groups to access the 50 per cent fund needed,by collating their resources to enable them benefit from the BDSF.
150 Childhood Cancer recorded at Korle-Bu last year
ONE hundred and fifty childhood cancer cases, out of an expected 1,000 cases annually in the country, were reported at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in 2011.
Of the 150 cases, about 30 of them were far advanced because they had been reported late at the hospital.
The KBTH and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) are the only hospitals that have paediatric cancer units in the country
According to a consultant paediatrician at the Paediatric Cancer Unit of the KBTH, Dr Lorna Awo Renner, because many children lived far away from the two teaching hospitals, they did not have access to early detection and treatment of childhood cancer.
Cancer is a disease in which the body’s cells become abnormal and divide without control. Childhood cancers are often the result of the DNA changes in cells and take place very early in life, sometimes before birth.
Although very little is known about the cause of most childhood cancers, environmental factors such as radiation are recognised as some of the causative agents. Drugs, chemicals, infections or viruses such as Epstein Barr (E-B), Hepatitis B, the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and genetic factors are also known to cause childhood cancer.
According to Dr Renner, more than 100,000 deaths resulting from childhood cancer globally could be prevented each year if all children had equal access to diagnosis and treatment.
She noted that childhood cancer formed only one per cent of all cancers in the country and indicated that when detected early, 75 per cent of the cases could be cured.
Dr Renner, therefore, called on all policy makers to reconsider their decision of not putting childhood cancer on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) because of fears that the cost of treating the disease would negatively affect the scheme.
According to her, about 40 per cent of childhood cancer cases were lymphomas, a cancer of the lymphocytes, a type of cell that formed part of the immune system, and would take only GH¢600 for its treatment.
The treatment of Leukaemia, which is most expensive and spans over three years, costs about GH¢1,000.
“As little as GH¢300 can be enough to buy drugs to treat and cure a child with cancer, and in some cases it can be as much as GH¢10,000,” she added.
She found it astounding that many expensive treatment ailments were on the NHIS, while the disease that affected vulnerable children who equally had the right to life was not on the NHIS list.
Dr Renner called on all parents to take note of symptoms such as white spots in the eyes or bulging eyeballs, unusual lumps or swellings in the body, especially the jaw, neck or stomach, persistent joint or bone pain, fever for more than two weeks, weight loss or bleeding and frequent headaches, vomiting or unsteady walking and report early to the nearest clinic to save the lives of the children.
The Chairman of the Ghana Parents’ Association for Childhood Cancers (GHAPACC), Dr Felix Kwame Aveh, also told the Daily Graphic that the association presented a letter to the officials of the NHIS and the Ministry of Health to reconsider the decisions taken about childhood cancer and its placement on the scheme.
He stated that the response it got from the two offices was that the NHIS would collapse if childhood cancer was placed on the scheme as a result of the perception that its treatment was expensive.
Of the 150 cases, about 30 of them were far advanced because they had been reported late at the hospital.
The KBTH and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) are the only hospitals that have paediatric cancer units in the country
According to a consultant paediatrician at the Paediatric Cancer Unit of the KBTH, Dr Lorna Awo Renner, because many children lived far away from the two teaching hospitals, they did not have access to early detection and treatment of childhood cancer.
Cancer is a disease in which the body’s cells become abnormal and divide without control. Childhood cancers are often the result of the DNA changes in cells and take place very early in life, sometimes before birth.
Although very little is known about the cause of most childhood cancers, environmental factors such as radiation are recognised as some of the causative agents. Drugs, chemicals, infections or viruses such as Epstein Barr (E-B), Hepatitis B, the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and genetic factors are also known to cause childhood cancer.
According to Dr Renner, more than 100,000 deaths resulting from childhood cancer globally could be prevented each year if all children had equal access to diagnosis and treatment.
She noted that childhood cancer formed only one per cent of all cancers in the country and indicated that when detected early, 75 per cent of the cases could be cured.
Dr Renner, therefore, called on all policy makers to reconsider their decision of not putting childhood cancer on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) because of fears that the cost of treating the disease would negatively affect the scheme.
According to her, about 40 per cent of childhood cancer cases were lymphomas, a cancer of the lymphocytes, a type of cell that formed part of the immune system, and would take only GH¢600 for its treatment.
The treatment of Leukaemia, which is most expensive and spans over three years, costs about GH¢1,000.
“As little as GH¢300 can be enough to buy drugs to treat and cure a child with cancer, and in some cases it can be as much as GH¢10,000,” she added.
She found it astounding that many expensive treatment ailments were on the NHIS, while the disease that affected vulnerable children who equally had the right to life was not on the NHIS list.
Dr Renner called on all parents to take note of symptoms such as white spots in the eyes or bulging eyeballs, unusual lumps or swellings in the body, especially the jaw, neck or stomach, persistent joint or bone pain, fever for more than two weeks, weight loss or bleeding and frequent headaches, vomiting or unsteady walking and report early to the nearest clinic to save the lives of the children.
The Chairman of the Ghana Parents’ Association for Childhood Cancers (GHAPACC), Dr Felix Kwame Aveh, also told the Daily Graphic that the association presented a letter to the officials of the NHIS and the Ministry of Health to reconsider the decisions taken about childhood cancer and its placement on the scheme.
He stated that the response it got from the two offices was that the NHIS would collapse if childhood cancer was placed on the scheme as a result of the perception that its treatment was expensive.
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