Engage Now Africa, in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Persons with Albinism, celebrated Education and Awareness Creation Day by calling on the government to include sunscreen under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to drastically reduce skin cancer among people with albinism.

According to skin experts, skin cancer kills 90 per cent of people with albinism who cannot afford sunscreen to protect their skin.

Albinism is a genetic condition caused by the absence of melanin production in the body. The amount of melanin one’s body produces determines the colour of one’s skin, hair, and eyes.

Due to the lack of melanin, individuals with albinism are highly vulnerable to skin cancer from constant sun exposure without protective clothing, which advocacy groups refer to as a silent killer.

One of the greatest challenges facing persons with albinism is the threat from the sun, which affects their skin and eyes, leading to visual impairment and skin cancer. Neglect, ridicule, and discrimination are other challenges faced by persons with albinism.

This year's celebration, under the theme "10 Years of IAAD; A Decade of Collective Progress,” brought together people with albinism from different parts of the country to celebrate and mark the association's ten-year existence.

Dr Janet Ayiboe, a skin expert at the 37 Military Hospital, emphasised in an interview that the government needs to include sunscreen in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to reduce skin cancer among persons with albinism.

Programme Coordinator of Engage Now Africa, Kwame Andrews Darko, stated that Ghana does not have specific programmes or interventions to support the treatment of skin cancer, which is very expensive.

Darko expressed concern about the government's inability to provide accessible teaching and learning materials to enable fully inclusive education for individuals with albinism and called for stakeholder support.