KUMASI NOW CENTER FOR CANCER CONTROL IN AFRICA

Kumasi City has now become the FIRST “African key Learning City” for Cancer Control making Ghana the first country in the world to pilot the Cancer Control Project, the Minister of Health, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang Manu has announced.

He said the other three (3) cities to pilot the project were Asuncion in Paraguay, Cali in Columbia and Yangon in Myanmar. 

The Health Minister made this known at a media briefing in Kumasi to officially announce Kumasi’s selection by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) for the Cancer Control Project.

According to him, a clear commitment to cancer care and treatment had already been demonstrated in Kumasi through the ongoing work at Komfo Anokye Radiation Oncology Department, developing of the Kumasi Cancer Registry and the work of Breast Care International which made the city a strong candidate for consideration.

Mr. Agyemang Manu spoke about the potential benefits of the project and said it would strengthen the Kumasi Cancer Registry and also help improve cancer prevention and control in Ghana among others.

Kumasi Mayor, Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi in his welcome remarks expressed sincere gratitude to the leadership of the UICC and the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit for acknowledging the suitability and the capability of Kumasi and for that matter for “this all important project”.

He thanked Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi and the entire medical personnel in the Kumasi metropolis for their effort at controlling cancer in the city which attracted the UICC to Kumasi.

In a presentation, Dr Baffour Awuah at KATH said cancer was one of the world’s worst pressing health concern killing over eight million people per year more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB combined. 

He highlighted the cancer situation in Ghana and said low public awareness and negative beliefs about cancer was a big challenge to the health sector.

Present at the program were  Baffuor Owusu Amankwatia VI, Bantamahene; 

Hon.Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Oheneba Owusu Danso, CEO of KATH among others.