The Bono Regional Office of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has organised a screening event in Sunyani to heighten awareness of the need to screen for breast cancer.

The Regional Administrator, Michael P. K Asumanu, who led the exercise, said most people in Ghana are oblivious to the threat posed by breast cancer, hence the need for everyone to be keen on its sensitisation. 

He bemoaned how some men are not bothered about breast cancer. He reminded them how it could affect their daughters, wives, or mothers.

"So it's important we (male staff) all join our women to educate the masses about the need to take an examination of the breast for lumps and treatment seriously," he asserted.

He insisted that such a collaborative awareness creation would help stem the spread of the disease.

Mr Asumanu, who is also in charge of the Bono East and Ahafo Regions, was speaking to the media in Sunyani during a breast cancer screening exercise and awareness seminar organized by the Regional Office of COCOBOD to mark this year's breast cancer awareness week.

The second edition of the exercise was themed "Screen smart, early detection, brighter future."

The exercise forms part of their social responsibilities to Ghanaians, especially farmers, as well as COCOBOD staff and residents.

"If cocoa farmers are not there, COCOBOD fails to exist, so we are taking advantage of October as breast cancer awareness month to seek the well-being of our farmers", he said.

Mr Asumanu further said a similar breast screening exercise, targeting about 4,000 women from the three regions, would take place in Goaso during the "Women in cocoa farming" festival on October 31, 2024. 

Ms Rita Oppong Yeboah, a health promotion officer at the Sunyani Teaching Hospital, in an interview, said women especially must be desirous in their decision to self-examine and screen their breasts.

According to her, women are important for reproduction; therefore, there is a need for screening, leading to early detection, treatment, and management, if need be, to dodge the avoidable loss of lives to breast cancer.

She, however, expressed worry about most women shying away from self-examination and further investigation at the health facilities until it becomes too late to manage and treat.

Because of that, she appealed to women to visit the nearest healthcare centres when they noticed any change or lamp in their breasts.

"It is not every lamp in the breast which is cancerous. It would be investigated at the health facility or early support when necessary".

"Breast cancer is not spiritual but a real ailment that could be treated if detected early," Ms Oppong Yeboah said and further admonished women to seek treatment at the hospital while praying.

She also appealed to women to avoid self-medication, treatment, and management and visit the hospitals for healthcare providers to professionally assess and handle the situation.

Rebecca Nkrumah Dadzie, a staff at the Seed Production Division of COCOBOD, advocates for an in-depth understanding of the causes and symptoms of breast cancer to help demystify the misconceptions about the ailment.