The Dr. Robert Mitchell Memorial Foundation has gifted the Ho Teaching Hospital Cancer Registry vital equipment to effectively operationalize the unit.

Two laptops, a desktop computer, a photocopier machine and UPS were gifted to the registry established some years ago.

The Registry has a vital role to play in the fight against cancer, serving as a data collation center to feed national policies focused on prevention, treatment, and support services.

The Acting Executive Secretary, Dr. Robert Mitchell Memorial Foundation, Madugu Emmanuel Kwesi entreated philanthropists and other benevolent organizations to help make the facility a fully-fledged registry.

“There have been a few challenges, in accessing office space to set up this registry for some time now. As we have gathered here, we call on stakeholders, representatives here to support us with office space to help us establish this cancer registry to its full capacity”, he said.

The Director of Medical Services of HTH, Dr. Emmanuel Kasu, said the provision of the equipment coupled with the relaunch of the Registry would inform an expansion of services across the region.

He is hopeful the registry would endeavor to deliver its mandate to help ascertain the prevalence of cancer, its survival rate in his jurisdiction among others.

A Consultant Radiation and Clinical Oncologist with the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Dr. Baawuah Osei Bonsu emphasized the essence of the registry in lessening the effects of cancer on the Ghanaian society.

He advocated for periodic screening to enable early detection of cancer which he believes would ensure early treatment of the disease which may be at the developing stage.

He explained that early treatment lessens the financial burdens on patients, asserting that the same measure has been effective in the fight against cancer in developed countries.

“Cancer treatment is expensive, I think our focus should be early detection and screening. Because that can save lives, that will cause much less and that will be a lesser burden for the government”, he said.

He entreated members of the newly constituted Cancer Multi-Disciplinary Team of HTH to be accommodating to one another and concentrate on delivering their ultimate goal of reducing cancer incidents in their coverage area.

“If you want the multi-disciplinary team to be sustained, everybody should appreciate the role of the other, and it is not the time to apportion blame or to say things have not been right. Just forge on”, he said.