Cancer care and treatment in Ghana is receiving a boost as Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is partnering with the Mayo Clinic in North America.

The partnership spearheaded by the Oncology Directorate of the hospital in Kumasi, is partnering one of the world’s cancer leaders to strengthen cancer care and management in the country.

Head of the Oncology Directorate of KATH, Dr Ernest Baawuah Osei-Bonsu, said as part of the collaboration, a five-member team from the Directorate had already visited Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has also been donating equipment to the directorate.

“They’re also supporting us with certain equipment and facilities just to improve on what we do here every day.” he is optimistic.

The Mayo team led by, Radiation Oncologist, Professor Kenneth Merrellin will in February visit KATH to seal the collaboration.

Dr. Osei-Bonsu revealed breast and cervical cancers form half of the over 800 cases recorded annually.

He bemoaned late reporting of the disease; continue to thwart treatment

“Often they come in with advanced stages, which comprise about fifty per cent of the cases. We keep on reaching out to the people to come for an early test,” he revealed.

He was however worried patients continue to accrue debts.

“Every quarter we have patients who have debts from twenty to thirty Ghana cedis. Majority are patients who have not been able to pay for their radiotherapy cost,” he said.

“We’ve gone into some arrangements to pay in piecemeal,” he added.

The Partnership will also afford KATH the opportunity to serve as a training centre for medical physicists in the sub-region.

Directorate awarded ten staff from the various units for hard work and dedication to duty.

They were presented with citations, plaques, and other rewards.