GENDER MINISTER PROMOTES WOMEN’S HEALTH WITH BREAST CANCER SCREENING AT NSAWAM PRISON

As part of activities marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has led a Breast Cancer Sensitization and Screening Exercise for female inmates and officers of the Nsawam Female Prison.

The exercise aimed to raise awareness on the early detection and prevention of breast cancer while extending care and support to women in correctional facilities.

Delivering her address, the Minister reiterated government’s commitment to promoting gender equality and social inclusion across all sectors.

She explained that since 1985, the month of October has been globally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month to create awareness, promote early detection, and provide support for those affected by the disease.

“The theme for this year’s celebration, ‘Catch it Early, Treat it Right, and Survive it,’ reminds us that early detection, proper treatment, and sustained awareness are the three vital pillars that save lives,” she noted.

The Minister emphasized that the fight against breast cancer goes beyond health—it is a national development and social welfare concern that affects livelihoods, families, and communities.

“Our gathering here today is not just another ceremonial observation,” she stated. “It is a call to action and an urgent reminder that breast cancer is not only a medical condition, but a social concern that affects us all.”

Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey highlighted that although breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in Ghana, many of these deaths are preventable.

“When breast cancer is detected early, treated, and properly managed, survival rates increase dramatically,” she said, urging the public to overcome fear, stigma, cultural beliefs, and economic barriers that prevent women from seeking medical attention.

She further called on leaders, health professionals, civil society, and the media to “break these barriers by raising awareness, expanding access to affordable screening, and ensuring that treatment and care are delivered with dignity and compassion.”

The Minister also underscored the Ministry’s collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, and other key stakeholders to provide free screening and register vulnerable persons on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as part of this year’s national commemoration, officially launched by the Vice President of the Republic, H.E. Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, on October 1, 2025.

As part of the visit, the Minister donated an undisclosed amount of money to support an ongoing project at the prison and presented assorted items such as foodstuffs, bottled and sachet water, sanitary pads, soap, and soft drinks to the inmates. She explained that the donation was an expression of love and solidarity with the inmates while promoting their welfare and dignity.

The Minister also inspected the prison’s fish pond and poultry farm, commending the management and inmates for their hard work and innovation in developing sustainable livelihood ventures that provide food for the facility. She encouraged them to maintain these productive activities as part of their rehabilitation and reintegration process.

She reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to advancing women’s health, gender equality, and social protection, stressing the importance of investing in prevention rather than cure.

“Let us all become advocates in our homes, workplaces, and communities to spread the message: ‘Catch it early, treat it right, and survive it.’ Together, we can build a Ghana where no woman or man dies from breast cancer.”

The exercise forms part of the Ministry’s broader efforts to ensure that no woman, family, or community is left behind in the fight against breast cancer.

Source: MoGCSP