Breast Care International (BCI) and Teva Pharmaceuticals have launched the second edition of the “Let’s End Breast Cancer Project” at Abetifi in the Kwahu East district of the Eastern Region.
This comprehensive project aims to raise awareness, educate communities about breast cancer, and train health personnel to manage it.
In partnership with the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, the project will conduct thorough research to identify potential environmental contributors to breast cancer in the Eastern region.
The launch was held at the Abetifi Presbyterian College of Education campus on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
In her address, the President of Breast Care International (BCI), Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, said the project is crucial in addressing the growing burden of breast cancer in Ghana, particularly in the Eastern Region.
“By promoting awareness, education, research, and training, BCI and Teva Pharmaceuticals aim to reduce the incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer in the Eastern region,” she stated.
“Free breast cancer screening will be organized at the various communities, and those people identified with the disease will be referred to the hospitals for immediate commencement of treatments,” Dr Wiafe Addai added.
Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, also the CEO of Peace and Love Hospitals in Kumasi and Accra, noted that breast cancer and witchcraft have no correlation and therefore cannot be treated with traditional medicines.
She advised women with breast cancer to seek medical attention and not resort to traditional medicine that has not been medically proven to cure breast cancer.
The Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Prof. Edward Debrah Wiafe, said the institution’s findings will identify the possible contaminants that cause diseases like breast cancer.
“The environment is contaminated with weedicides, pesticides, and chemicals like the mercury used in illegal mining in the forests and water bodies. These chemicals considered as poisons are consumed by humans through the foodstuffs grown around these infested areas,” he posited.
Prof. Edward Debrah Wiafe continued, “These chemical components are not degradable, and when it is consumed, it can cause any other form of disease from which breast cancer cannot be exempted. We will collect soil samples and analyze them to relate to prevalent health cases, especially breast cancer.”
The Principal of Abetifi Presbyterian College of Education, Dr. Mrs. Phyllis Agyeman Nyarko, after the breast cancer education admitted that it has shaped their mindset about the disease.
“Now we know that the disease is not caused by any witchcraft, it is curable, preventable, and treatable. We have also heard that breast cancer can affect women of all ages and therefore the need to have our breasts clinically screened regularly to know our statuses,” she acknowledged.
