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Accra, Ghana – Ghana’s Parliament has mounted a spirited campaign urging government and donor partners to commit more resources to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cater for the full expenses of breast cancer treatment.
On the floor of the House, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Professor Mike Aaron Quaye bemoaned the rate at which breast cancer is killing a lot of women due to poverty. “The health insurance should be made to cover all expenses on breast cancer to save more lives.”
He raised the concern in commemoration of this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Speaker reminded the Health Ministry to immediately ensure that the NHIS is well resourced to cater for the cost of breast cancer treatment.
Buttressing the Speaker’s submission, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Member of Parliament (MP) for Effiduase-Asokore constituency, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie said the NHIS needed more funds to cater for breast cancer patients.
“While we look at government to provide the funds, it’s about time that additional sources of funding are mobilized from corporate, and the formal sector to augment the current sources of funding for the NHIS fund.”
“I am convinced beyond the ordinary that, with some new ways of supporting the scheme explored, breast cancer prevalence will decrease and mortality associated with it will decrease.” He insisted.
As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of St. Johns Hospital at Achimota, the medical Practitioner said breast cancer is a complicated disease. “The main causes of breast cancer are yet to be established and therefore, early detection remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control.”
“When breast cancer is detected early, and if adequate diagnosis and treatment are available, there is a good chance that breast cancer can be cured. If detected late, however, curative treatment is often no longer an option.”
“Mammography is the most important screening test for breast cancer and I hope that if the NHIS is well financed by government, the scheme can afford to take care of breast cancer patients.”
Similarly, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ledzokuku decried the exclusion of breast cancer treatment on the NHIS benefits package.
The certified Medical Practitioner, Dr. Oko Boye said, “The issue is driving most women below the poverty line, and also increasing the mortality rate among them. Majority of the death occurs in low- and middle-income countries due to the lack of finances to treat them.”
By SavannahNewsOnline.Com/Abdul Karim Naatogmah
