
Story: Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Battor-Dugame, Volta Region
In a remarkable show of international collaboration and dedication to women’s health in Ghana, the Rotary Club of Accra-East (RCAE) and its counterparts at Eau Claire in the United States of America (USA) with support from the Rotary Foundation have jointly donated fifty (50) thermal coagulators otherwise known as specialized cervical pre-cancer treatment devices, to underserved communities in the country.
This initiative, worth Seventy Thousand US Dollars ($70,000), is aimed, among other things, at making life-saving care more accessible to women in need of such services. It is a global grant project that will equip close to fifty (50) institutions across Ghana with cervical cancer detention devices in the fight against cervical cancer.
The handing over of these critical medical instruments took place at the Battor Catholic Hospital (BCH) at Battor-Dugame in the North Tongu district of the Volta Region, where they were received with gratitude and anticipation by the medical staff and community.
The ceremony was attended by dignitaries such as the Paramount Queen mother of the Mepe Traditional Area, Mamaga Adzo Sreku IV, the North Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE), Hon. Divine Osborne Fenu, District Director of Health Services (DDHS) for the area, Mr. Michael Ziggah as well as Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Accra-East and other Rotary Clubs dotted across the country. Also present at the event were healthcare professionals, community leaders as well as a section of the general public.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women in Ghana after breast cancer with nearly three thousand (3,000) new cases reported yearly and close to two thousand (2,000) women dying annually from the disease.
Thermal coagulators are devices used to treat precancerous lesions of the cervix so that they do not progress to cancer. These devices offer a safe and effective alternative to surgical procedures for cervical pre-cancer. The device helps save lives and reduces the burden on healthcare systems, empowering women to take control of their health.
Head of the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre (CCPTC) at the BCH, Dr. Kofi Effah, used the occasion to give a one-hour PowerPoint presentation on the burden of cervical cancer globally and in Ghana, prevention as well as support from individuals and organizations, including the Rotary Clubs of Accra-East (Ghana) and the Eau Claire (USA) in the fight against cervical cancer. His presentation also touched on how the cervical cancer project journey started at Battor years ago.
Speaking at the event, the President of the Rotary Club of Accra-East, Mr. Serge Sourou Oga, touched on the significance of the collaboration and the journey that led to the generous donation. ‘Today, in a collaborative effort with the Rotary Foundation and the Rotary Club of Eau Claire, we offer these fifty (50) thermal coagulators to complement your work mainly for under-served communities. This achievement is a gift of hope, empowerment, and a brighter future for women facing the threat of cervical cancer’, the President noted. He expressed his complete joy to be part of the project that has the potential to save the lives of thousands (1000s) of women in Ghana and beyond.
Nurses and trainees from health institutions across the country that are currently receiving training on cervical cancer at the CCPTC, were presented with the thermal coagulators from the President of the Rotary Club of Accra-East with support from the Administrator of the BCH, Mr. Donatus Adaletey.
Institutions that have so far received the devices are the Greater Accra Regional (Ridge) Hospital, Accra, Tema General Hospital, the LEKMA Hospital in Accra, the Ga East Municipal Hospital at Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Region, as well as the St. Anthony’s Hospital at Dzodze in the Volta Region. The others are the War Memorial Hospital, Navrongo, in the Upper East Region, Upper West Regional Hospital at Wa, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)Hospital in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), Legon-Accra and the Volta Regional Hospital at Ho. The rest are the VRA Hospital in Accra, St. Gregory Catholic Hospital at Gomoa Buduburam in the Central Region, Kpone Katamanso Municipal Health Directorate in the Greater Accra Region, the Holy Family Hospital at Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region as well as the Kintampo Municipal Hospital in the Bono East Region.
The successful realization of this project would not have been possible without the efforts of numerous Rotarians and partners. The Rotary President acknowledged the contributions of various individuals and organizations, including the Rotary Foundation and the leadership of the two Rotary Clubs of Accra-East in Ghana and Eau Claire in the USA, towards the successful execution of this initiative.
In a goodwill message, members of the Rotary Club of Eau Claire, USA, expressed their deep appreciation for the opportunity to support Dr. Kofi Effah and his team at the BCH in the fight against cervical cancer in Ghana. The message read by the Accra East Chairperson of the Rotary Foundation, Rotarian Emmanuel Deho, on behalf of Eau Claire, emphasized the life-saving impact the fifty (50) thermal ablation devices would have on women in Ghana and across the world.
District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Hon. Divine Osborne Fenu, was very grateful to Dr. Kofi Effah and his team for the great work in the district, the Volta Region, and Ghana. He was hopeful that the support from the two Rotary Clubs in Ghana and the USA would go a long way to realize the ultimate vision of eliminating the incidence of cervical cancer from the country’s female population.
Paramount Queen mother of the Mepe Traditional Area, Mamaga Adzo Sreku IV, described the establishment of the CCPTC at the BCH as a visionary one, adding that it was not surprising that such a little vision, started at Battor a couple of years ago, has now gained not only national attention but also international recognition.
District Director of Health Services (DDHS) for the area, Mr. Michael Ziggah, noted that the event was a giant step by stakeholders, particularly the RCAE and its counterparts at Eau Claire in the United States with support from the Rotary Foundation, towards collective efforts at eliminating cervical cancer from the Ghanaian population. ‘With the right support of tools, knowledge, and equipment just as Rotary has done today, we will be able to fight this battle to the end for cervical cancer to become a thing of the past’, Mr. Ziggah emphasized.
Receiving the donation, the Administrator of the BCH, Mr. Donatus Adaletey, was grateful to the donors for the kind gesture and reminded the beneficiary trainees and institutions to use the equipment for its intended purpose to achieve results. He also charged the trainees to use the acquired knowledge and skills from the Centre to positively impact women and society by discharging their duties.
Before the presentation of the equipment, Ms. Comfort Mawusi Wormenor, a Nurse at the CCPTC, spent some time demonstrating the use of the thermal coagulator to the gathering and ways to treat cervical cancer conditions in women.
The Medical Director of the BCH, Dr. Bernard Atuguba, chaired the function. He described the gesture by the donors as a step in the right direction. According to him, if cervical cancer had been a condition of the male population, Ghana and Africa would have gotten a solution long ago. He used the occasion to renew his appeal to politicians to prioritize the health needs of their citizenry, adding that investing in such equipment and tools by the government would not cost much but save millions of innocent lives, some of whom are dying through cancers and avoidable ailments.
The impact of this donation is expected to be far-reaching, particularly in underserved communities in Ghana. Access to cervical pre-cancer treatment will be improved, leading to a higher likelihood of early detection and successful outcomes for women in need. This initiative also models future collaborations between Rotary clubs, organizations, and communities worldwide.
The donation has already garnered attention from the Health, Education, and Wellness Rotary Action Group (HEWRAG) which works a lot on cervical cancer. It may also lead to a presentation at the next Rotary International Convention in Singapore, further highlighting the impact of this collaboration.
Rotary Club has 1.4 million passionate individuals in 46,000+ clubs worldwide. Rotary is both an international organization and a local community leader humanitarian group. Together, they lead change in their backyards and across the world.