In order to ease the emotional and financial burden on cancer patients, the Executive Director of the Meena Breast Cancer Foundation, Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng is advocating for government to absorb the full cost of treating breast cancer in the country.

According to the Executive Director, due to the expensive nature of treating the most common cancer in Ghana, some patients are sent to their early grave over their inability to foot the bills.

Others are also saddled with debt and hence have no other option than to halt the treatment process leaving them to their fate, he added.

Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, who founded the Meena Breast Cancer Foundation after his wife succumbed to the fatal disease in 2022 to support cancer patients, says government should absorb the treatment under the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Also read: https://www.myjoyonline.com/new-voices-educates-women-on-breast-cancer-prevention-and-treatment/

Speaking on the “Issues Affecting Breast Cancer Patients In Ghana” as part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month celebration, the Executive Director of the foundation said many of the victims of breast cancer fall within the poverty bracket and therefore cannot afford the treatment.

“Government should make breast cancer care and treatment free. It is important. Much as we are all aware that government incurs a lot of cost in the healthcare delivery system, it is important to also know that there are many poor women in the poverty bracket who cannot pay for the high cost of treatment of breast cancer,” he said.

He continued, “From biopsy, mammogram, pathology, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and so on and so forth, you need a fortune at the bank. So we are pleading with government to make breast cancer care and treatment free."

Speaking to JoyNews on the ordeals of breast cancer patients, a survivor, Joycelyn Yao Kumah, said she almost gave up on herself when the financial burden became unbearable.

She is therefore supporting the calls on government to absorb the full cost of treatment.

“The chemo is about money. Most of the time we only hear the chemo drugs are expensive but there are other medications that they add to the chemo treatment. There is one that is very expensive and you are supposed to take it for three days after chemo. At my time, it was GH₵460 and you have to take it for three days. That is like over GH₵1300 including the chemo that you are paying for so it makes it very expensive,” she said.