Tuesday, 4th February, 2025
Hon Adelaide Ntim
Nsuta/Kwaman Beposo
Mr Speaker, I stand here to make this Statement on the occasion of World Cancer Day, observed annually, on 4th February, to raise awareness about cancer and evaluate Ghana’s progress in tackling cancer and other pressing health challenges. This year’s theme, “Closing the Care Gap,” reflects Ghana’s commitment to equitable and accessible health care for all citizens.
Mr Speaker, cancer remains a leading cause of death in Ghana, with diseases such as breast, cervical, prostate and colorectal cancers severely impacting families and communities. However, we have made a significant stride in improving assess to cancer treatment.
Mr Speaker, in June 2022, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), expanded its benefit package to include treatment for four common childhood cancers: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Burkitt Lymphoma, Retinoblastoma, and Wilms Tumor. This decision has brought relief to many families by ensuring timely and affordable care for children battling with these cancers. Also, the inclusion of prostate cancer treatment in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in December 2022, which commenced in 2023, is already positively impacting lives.
Mr Speaker, in addition to addressing cancer, the NHIA has taken bold steps to alleviate the burden of kidney disease. On 1st December, 2024, the NHIA launched a free dialysis programme that now benefits over 1,200 renal disease patients nationwide. This followed a successful six-month pilot programme, during which children under 18, and adults over 60 received up to eight free dialysis sessions monthly, while patients aged 19 to 59 had two subsidised sessions. The programme is funded through government allocations, development partners and corporate sponsorships, with an annual budget estimated between GH₵20 million to GH₵57 million. This initiative is a monumental step toward reducing the financial strain on affected families.
Mr Speaker, another noteworthy initiative is the Government’s Agenda 111 Project, under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. This transformational programme aimed at constructing district hospitals across the country, seeks to address healthcare disparities, especially in rural and underserved areas. Once completed, it will provide state-of-the-art facilities, including oncology services, diagnostic tools, and specialised care, thereby closing the care gap and promoting healthcare equity. I urge this Administration to prioritise completing this project, as it would have a lasting impact on the health and well-being of our citizens.
Mr Speaker, the Government has also implemented various programme over the past eight years to support cancer patients, including National Strategy for Cancer Control, aiming to reduce cancer mortality by 30 per cent through prevention, early detection, improved treatment, and enhanced quality of life for patients; human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme, targeting girls aged 10 to 14 – this initiative has significantly reduced cervical cancer risk; Rebecca Foundation’s Cancer Project, supporting breast and cervical cancer screening and early detection in rural areas.
Mr Speaker, additionally, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the NHIA, Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other stakeholders, has worked tirelessly to establish oncology centres, provide diagnostic equipment, and train specialists to improve access to quality care.
Mr Speaker, despite these efforts, challenges persist. Many rural communities still lack access to diagnostic and treatment services, and the cost of advanced care remains a barrier for many families. We must, therefore:
1. Increase investment in health infrastructure,
2. Strengthen public education on disease prevention, and
3. Expand Public-Private Partnerships to address these gaps. Mr Speaker, on this World Cancer Day, I call on this House to support ongoing and future initiatives aimed at tackling critical health challenges like cancer and kidney diseases.
Let us also commit to completing transformational projects like Agenda 111, which will establish a strong foundation for accessible and equitable healthcare for generations to come. Together, we can make significant strides in improving the health and well-being of all Ghanaians.
I thank you, once again, Mr Speaker, for this great opportunity.
Hon Laadi Ayii Ayamba
Pusiga
Mr Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to comment on the Statement made by my Colleague.
I would like to commend the maker of the Statement and also thank her for taking time to research and elaborate on the awareness of cervical cancer and breast cancer. This year’s theme which is “Empowering, Prevention and Early Detection” is very key.
Not too long ago, I chaired a programme at the Achimota Hospital where a survivor of cervical cancer shared her ordeal. I think that it is important for every woman to always go and get screened. It is not all right to just go for our normal check-up and then leave the important aspects such as cervical cancer and breast cancer out.
A lot of people today are dying because they cannot afford the medication. The survivor who shared her story said she sold her house to be able to stay alive to tell her story.
Today, how many of our Ghanaian women out there can afford such expensive treatments? We urge our health directorates, hospitals, and our Health Minister to put in a lot to ensure that cases like cervical cancer and breast cancer are taken seriously because it is deadly and women are vulnerable.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Hon Frank Yeboah
Atwima Nwabiagya North
Mr Speaker, thank you very much. I am Frank Yeboah, the Hon Member for Atwima Nwabiagya North.
I want to add my voice to the Statement ably made by my Colleague, the Hon Member for Nsuta/Kwaman Beposo. We all agree that cancer is one of the killer diseases in the country and in the world at large.
Mr Speaker, on the 23rd of December 2024, World Health Organization (WHO), released a report that sought to suggest that about 75 per cent of deaths globally are accounted for by non-communicable diseases, of which cancer is one. So, if we look at it, cancer is one of the killer diseases.
In Ghana, the NHIS covers cervical cancer and breast cancer. Now, the NHIS also covers four main childhood cancers. But the unfortunate aspect is that it does not cover prostate cancer which is killing most men. Most men are suffering from prostate cancer, but unfortunately, we do not have any means of healthcare for that.
Mr Speaker, I urge the House to cause prostate cancer treatment to be included in the NHIS benefit package so that men would not die and the workforce of the economy of the country would not die.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Hon Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
Korle Klottey
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to comment on the Statement made by our Colleague.
Mr Speaker, it is true that cervical cancer is one of the most common in Ghana among women, and only 3.6 per cent of women in Ghana aged 18 to 69 have ever been screened, and 4.3 per cent of women aged 30 to 49, which is the highest risk group have ever been screened for cervical cancer. As a result of that, normally, this cancer presents quite late and does not have a good prognosis at that point.
Mr Speaker, in addition to the contributions made by other Hon Members, I would like to add certain things that women ought to look out for just as a means of providing extra information, because this serves as a platform. One of the things that serves as a red flag in a woman is when there are abnormal bleeding in between menstrual cycles, and also bleeding after sexual intercourse. Women should be aware of these two things and should be concerned about them when they do occur.
With regards to breast cancer, women should get to know their breasts very well and their husbands or partners should do the same. It is usually advisable that the best time to actually check the breasts is in the shower; when there is soap and water, it makes it easier for the hands to glide over the breasts, so that one can feel if there are any lumps or bumps in the breasts. It would be also very important to add that when you do check the breasts, you must also check your armpits, because the lymph nodes in the armpits are usually where there are drainages from the breasts as well.
Other important things to look out for in terms of abnormal changes in the breasts are when the nipples are inverted. So, if the nipples are not sticking out as usual, and they start to point the wrong way, that is another thing to look out for. Hon Minority Leader, please pay attention, this is important .
In addition, one of the other things to look out for is what is called the peau d’orange, where the skin appears like an orange peel, that also shows that there might be edema — yes, an orange peel. I think we are all familiar with the way an orange peel looks.
These are just few pointers that we should look out for, simply to raise our awareness to what is not normal. If one is not breastfeeding, having any discharge from the nipple is also abnormal.
So, for the male Members of Parliament (MPs), they should pay attention when they are with their wives and significant others.
The women should get to know their bodies so that when something changes, they are actually the first person to know. When they go and see their doctors, they should make it a point to bring their doctor's attention to all of these. Once a year, when they see their doctors, they should ask for a cervical screening or as well; they should just have their breasts checked.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Hon Fred Kyei Asamoah
Offinso North
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to add my voice to the Statement.
Mr Speaker, cancer has been with us since creation, and it keeps increasing, largely because of our lifestyle and the food that we eat. The Abuja Declaration requires that each nation allocates at least 15 per cent of its national budget towards health, and we all know the cost of managing or treating cancer is very high. Many times, the medication that we get to use tends to cause more harm than good.
So, as a nation, we may have to look at some issues and tackle them very well. First is to look at the public awareness and the health surveillance system that we have in this country. We are all talking about screening and how we can recognise breast cancer early enough, but we all know that many women who tend to get breast cancer do get earlier diseases that normally will lead to breast cancer. That means that expanding screening systems in our country or all the other systems or parameters on the causes of cancer is critical.
Mr Speaker, it is important that we establish at least regional centres for treating cancer. We know that we have only one quaternary health treatment centre in the country, and it would be good if we could add one or two more quaternary centres, so that we can expand our screening and treatment centres in the country.
Mr Speaker, budget has always been an issue; thus, we do not have enough infrastructure to support cancer treatment, management, and prevention. In the first place, one would want to prevent cancer so that we do not have to spend so much money to treat it. But, in case it happens, which we know, the number of people who would be infected or would have cancer would increase anyway. So, it is good that as a nation, we increase our budgetary allocation towards cancer management and treatment.
Also, I believe we have local medications or natural systems that we can use to manage or to help prevent it. It is important that as a country, we invest so much in research, not only in a few centres within the country, but also, a regional research centre that could help us support and identify treatment systems that can be used locally, which can bring the cost of managing cancer down.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Agnes Naa Momo Lartey
Krowor
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by my able Colleague.
I also want to thank her for bringing this to the fore. In addition to the many things that have been mentioned here, I would urge us all to pay critical attention to the general health and well-being of women in our various constituencies.
Treating cancer is very expensive. As legislators, as we go about our duties, it is important that we pay close attention to some of these issues, especially treatment of cancer and the rest. It is important that we allocate resources to not just policy issues, but to ensure that we, more or less, go for public sensitisation and education. So that prevention will be the focus, and not just waiting for it to be cured.
Mr Speaker, sensitisation is critical because in our various constituencies, we have people who hold the belief that some of these things are religiously or spiritually orchestrated. And for that matter, instead of seeking medical attention, they go to camps and all that to be treated. Most often, by the time victims or people realise, it is late; and so, curing the cancers become extra expensive and most often fatal.
Mr Speaker, so, I will urge Colleagues in this House, to also allocate part of our health fund to ensure that we sensitise our constituents to do periodic checkups and examination through the free medical care. This is so that a lot of people will be sensitised and aware of the dangers of these cancers and seek early prevention. Mr Speaker, on this note, I want to say thank you to my Colleague, once again, and to you for allowing me to add on to what has been said.
Thank you very much.
Hon Mark Kurt Nawaane
Nabdam
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, cancer is a worldwide problem and the statistics are very staggering. About 19.3 million new cases were reported in 2020 and 10 million cancer-related deaths were reported in that year. Experts are saying that by 2050, we should have cases up to 35 million.
In Ghana, it is also about the same thing; it mirrors the world statistics. We have 27,385 new cases each year, averagely, and 17,944 deaths annually.
Mr Speaker, in my 32 years of medical practice, the issue with cancer in this country is that people report very late. They always go to some other sources and attribute it to the fact that it is either witchcraft or some other juju, and they report very late. Because of that, sometimes, a person does not even need any equipment to diagnose it; he or she would immediately know that it is cancer, like the breast cancer and cervical cancer that they have talked about. Without even any instruments, one would definitely just know that this is cancer.
As I talk now, there are a lot of cases in my constituency. Sometimes I find it difficult to take a decision on whether I can use my National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to treat only one patient.
Mr Speaker, we need to take certain bold steps and one of them is that anybody who is well-employed should, on a yearly basis, undergo medical checkup. It is important because that is the only way we can catch the cancer, shall I say, young, or we would catch the cancer early. If we do not do that, the cost of treatment, as we know, is US$5,500 per case on the average; I am only speaking of the average and that is about GH₵88,000. How many Ghanaians can afford a medical bill of GH₵88,000?
We are doing our best; four childhood cancer services have been kept on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). But, if we want to put all these treatments on the NHIS, probably, we would not be able to contain the situation. So, we have the Mahama Care, which is supposed to handle the non-communicable diseases, of which cancer is one.
I hope that the Hon Minister for Health, my good Friend, Mr Akandoh, would take this up and ensure that the Mahama Care, which is going to be a special fund that would be used for noncommunicable diseases, is established as quickly as possible to assist these kinds of patients.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
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