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Dr. Mary Amoakoh-Coleman, the President of the Medical Women Association of Ghana (MWAG), has urged women to screen and vaccinate for cervical cancer to aid in early detection and prevention.
She said such proactive move will save many women from dying from cancer. Dr. Amoakoh-Coleman said in a bid to empower women with information about the disease, her Association had embarked on different health advocacy programmes that had impacted the Ghanaian population for years.
She stated this during an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the triennial conference of the Association on the theme: “Championing the Health of Women to Secure the Wealth of the Nation: The Role of Lady Doctors.” She noted that “The Medical Women Association of Ghana had been recognized through cervical cancer education campaigns that sought to educate people about the condition that affects women even though it takes time for symptoms to manifest.
“Cervical cancer clinical symptoms take time to be identified; therefore, if the awareness is created, people will practice its preventive methods,” Dr Amoakoh-Coleman said. She explained that to prevent cervical cancer, one had to vaccinate against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which could be taken by both boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 18 years.
The MWAG, she noted, seeks to educate parents to vaccinate their boy and girl children, adding that women who are sexually active, and aged 25 years and above, could also go for screening for early detection and prevention. Dr. Amoakoh-Coleman advised women to go for regular cancer screenings at least every three to five years, depending on the screening method. She added that when girls are screened and vaccinated against cervical cancer at an early age, it help protect them against the disease and its resultant deaths.
She explained that the theme for the year was chosen because women formed the base of the Ghanaian economy, hence the need to remain healthy to make the economy grow. Dr. Zanetor Rawlings, the Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle Constituency, lauded the team for their dedication towards the constituents for healthcare and advocacy.
Source: GNA
