Pokuaa Balm of Gilead Foundation Provides Free Breast Cancer Screening in Kwesimintsim

Accra – The Pokuaa Balm of Gilead Foundation, a non-profit organization based in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality (EKMA) in Ghana’s Western Region, recently conducted a free breast cancer screening event for women in the municipality. This initiative attracted many residents, particularly women of various ages and backgrounds, emphasizing the foundation’s commitment to community health.

According to Ghana News Agency, the Founder of the Foundation, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the event aimed to eliminate financial barriers and provide accessible healthcare services to all in the municipality. She emphasized that one of the key objectives of the foundation is to bring healthcare to underprivileged women and children, and to those who lack access due to expired or unregistered National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards.

Dr. Yaa Pokuaa highlighted some of the foundation’s past activities, noting that it had donated educational materials to about fifteen schools in the area and provided reproductive healthcare education to over 700 students in Senior High Schools within the municipality. Additionally, she mentioned that the foundation, in collaboration with the Lady Pharmacists Association, had distributed sanitary towels to over 700 women as part of their empowerment programs focused on women’s health.

During the breast cancer screening event, a team of experienced medical professionals conducted thorough examinations using advanced techniques. Madam Jackline Addae, an Oncology Nurse Specialist at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital’s Breast Care Unit, reported that the screening identified about seven suspected cases, which were then referred for further breast scans.

Madam Addae stressed the importance of regular health check-ups, noting that most breast cancer cases do not present symptoms in the early stages. She advised women to not wait until they are diagnosed with the disease before seeking a cure. “It is an opportunity to go from time-to-time to check-ups since early detection saves lives,” she said, emphasizing the dire consequences of late diagnosis and the importance of regular screening.

Beneficiaries of the screening expressed their gratitude to Dr. Yaa Pokuaa and her team for their support in providing these crucial health services to the community.