The Digni Awadzi Smith (DAS) Foundation has screened women at Nii Boi Town High Tension near Abeka Lapaz in the Greater Accra Region as part of its contribution towards the Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).
Globally, October has been earmarked as “Pink October” to create awareness on breast cancer, educate and screen the populace, especially women, to help prevent the disease.
The Foundation, in collaboration with Health Belt Foundation, made up health professionals, screened hundreds of women to detect anomalies for early treatment.
Pastor Digni Awadzi Smith, the Founder of DAS, said he initiated the screening for women in the area to provide healthcare to those unable to go for regular check-ups.
They were also screened on Hypertension, Blood Pressure (BP) and Blood Sugar to support the health needs of the poor and needy in the community and asked to regularly exercise to keep fit.
Pastor Smith, who doubles as Head Pastor of Streams of Power Assemblies of God Church, said preaching only the Gospel was not enough because the physical needs of the people must be catered for.
The Foundation was an outreach ministry that seeks to support rural and peri urban areas to promote their well-being and to ease the burden on the vulnerable.
He urged religious bodies to extend help to the poor and needy in society apart from preaching the gospel to show them love.
The Founder and Director of Health Belt Foundation, Madam Rabiatu Mahmoud Wattigi, said commemorating the month required screening exercises for early detection and treatment.
The exercise had created awareness for women about breast cancer and the need to do self-examination regularly, she said, adding that all irregularities detected had been forwarded to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for action.
She said though the “Pink October” had ended the exercise would continue with rigorous advocacy to ensure that women got screened and sought treatment at the hospital.
Most of the times cases reported to the hospitals were in the advanced stages, which made treatment difficult and that was what the advocacy intended to prevent to save lives, she said.
Madam Wattigi said breast cancer had no definite cause, however, predisposing factors like hormonal and genetic were high indicators.
She said change in the breast size, swells and redness of the breast among other changes were some symptoms of breast cancer and women should know the “normality and abnormality of their breast and seek early medical attention.”
A beneficiary who pleaded anonimity said the screening was simple and urged other women to take advantage of such exercises to know their status and commended DAS Foundation and Health Belt for the initiative.
The program was organised with support from the Marigold Hope Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.
