A breast cancer surgeon at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has raised concerns about the alarming rate of breast cancer-related deaths among Ghanaian women, emphasising that timely diagnosis is a major obstacle.

Speaking at a training workshop for doctors and sonographers from district hospitals, Dr Ishmael Kyei, stressed that the issue was not a lack of awareness about the disease but rather the speed at which diagnoses were made.

Currently, patients must travel to major hospitals like Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for diagnosis and biopsies, leading to unnecessary delays. 

To address this, the training workshop aimed to equip doctors and sonographers from peripheral district hospitals with the skills to diagnose breast cancer and perform biopsies, facilitating early treatment.

Dr Kyei noted that decentralising diagnostic capabilities would significantly reduce the time between patient presentation and diagnosis, allowing for timely treatment and improving outcomes for breast cancer patients.

The workshop, organised by Jhpiego in partnership with Pfizer Foundation, Ghana Health Service (GHS), and Ministry of Health (MoH) under their BEAT Breast Cancer Project in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, is a step towards improving breast cancer care in Ghana.

Dr Kyei also highlighted the urgent need for more pathologists and surgeons, stating that Ghana currently had fewer than 20 pathologists, and an inadequate number of breast cancer surgeons.

He called on the government and non-governmental organisations (NGO) to collaborate in addressing these challenges and enhancing breast cancer care in Ghana, appealing for a collective effort to improve breast cancer outcomes and reduce the number of deaths associated with this disease.