A Family Medicine Resident with the Korle-Bu Polyclinic, Dr. Naa Koowa Coker, has bemoaned the failure of the state to incorporate the cost of screening and treatment of cervical cancer into the health insurance scheme.

Speaking on JoyFM's Ultimate Health Show, on Sunday, she noted that over the years, financing has been one of the major setbacks for bringing the disease under control since people have to do it at their own cost.

“I think on the whole, as a nation we haven’t put our best foot forward with regards to the fight against cervical cancer. We need to get policies and integrate the screening process into the insurance scheme, because financing is a setback.

“The WHO recommends the HPV DNA testing as the gold standard but most people can’t afford that,” she said, entreating the government to factor that into the health insurance scheme.

In addition, she called for education on the causes, prevention, and treatment to be intensified across the country.

She proposed that such sensitization should be given at the basic level, and should be incorporated into the education curricula.

“In educating women, we should have it as part of our Reproductive Health education down to the elementary school. We don’t even have it well integrated into the curricula. We should let the young girls know that something like this exists and even start vaccination in order to prevent them from getting it,” she said.

On her part, Dr Elsie Adjacodjoe, Family Medicine Resident with the Korle-Bu Polyclinic, disclosed that a total of 2,797 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in Ghana last year.  

She stated that out of the number, 1,699 deaths were recorded, leaving 1,098 survivors.