Ashanti regional Deputy Director of clinical care, Dr. Rita Larsen-Reindorf is calling for the establishment of cancer centres in the district hospitals to deal with rising cases of the disease.

She observed that the two centres at Korle-Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals are not enough to deal with the disease.

Speaking as part of activities to mark world cancer day in Kumasi, she noted that such centres would ensure comprehensive care and management of cancer cases.

“We have Korle-bu and Kumasi, that’s all. We need more such centres because experience has shown the importance of national cancer centres in ensuring a comprehensive approach to cancer treatment.

“So that when you bring the services of prevention diagnosis, multidisciplinary treatment and supportive care together in one place, it makes it easier for patients to navigate services, and it helps us to get better outcomes,” she noted.

She wants training of more oncologists to augment the limited number of oncologists in the country.

“You can count the number of oncologists. The expertise is very limited and of the few, they’re concentrated in the teaching hospitals,” she said.

“Training institutions would have to review their curricula to incorporate cancer treatment,” she added.

Dr. Larsen-Reindorf believes government policy will be crucial in this direction.

The programme, jointly organized by the City Cancer Challenge and the Ghana Health Service is under the theme: "close the care gap."

Kumasi Metro Director of Health, Dr. Akosua Gyimah Omari-Sasu said the technical working committee of city cancer challenge of Kumasi  is working on protocol for guidelines for the various cancers.

“Before we started, we did a needs assessment to know where the gaps are so that we put in interventions,” she said.

Lydia Osei Owusu Ansah of the Non-communicable disease division of the Ashanti regional health directorate revealed the outfit will be undertaking screening exercises in the communities to ensure early detection.

She said they will be screening for other non-communicable diseases, as well.

 “We’ll be screening twice in a year. Please avail yourself, at all health institutions, all these screenings are being done.

“When we do the cancer screening, it is not left alone. We do that for diabetes, BMI,” she said.