Fibroid Foundation Africa (FFA), an organisation committed to supporting women of uterine fibroids, has been inaugurated in Accra, the first of its kind in Ghana.

Reverend Mrs Elizabeth Korasare, the Founder of the Foundation, in an address, said the organisation would provide a common platform for stakeholders to develop strategies, which would include pushing for a Bill for national research into fibroid and to find alternative treatment options aside surgery to combat the disease.

She said the Foundation would also advocate the inclusion of fibroid as a reproductive healthcare priority and galvanise support for the declaration of July as a national fibroid awareness month to promote educational programmes, including annual screening of at-risk population.

She said: "The womb is so important to humankind; that anything affecting it must be of grave concern to everybody.

"If women are losing their wombs through a disease, then that disease is an existential threat to procreation and must be listed as a top priority for any public health research programme, which would help understand its occurrence mainly among women of black descent and to provide empirical data for decision-making and policy formulation."

Rev Mrs Korasare, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Real Opportunities Network, called on Ghanaians to support the Foundation to wage relentless war against fibroids through education and awareness creation programmes.

"This would make more people understand, empathize and support women with fibroids in our communities, workplaces, homes and schools," she said.

ACP Dr Mrs Ellen Sam, a Clinical Pharmacist at the Ghana Police Hospital, urged women who detected symptoms of the fibroid to seek early medical attention.

"Some of us go to prayer camps and we are told all sort of things which do not help but today we have learnt to seek early medical attention to save our lives."

"We heard that there are various treatments available; some are established, some are emerging, some are new. Now we know that not all the treatment would work for everybody; so it is important that for everybody careful assessment has to be done to categorise the type of patients – some may be young, some may have children, some may finish having their children, some are in between, so depending on the category in which you fall then appropriate treatment is given, so please seek early help," she said.

ACP Dr Mrs Sam appealed to individuals and corporate bodies to support the Fibroid Foundation Africa to achieve its aims and objective to protect women from the disease.

Other persons who spoke at the function are Dr Marina Yashunina, an Alternative Medicine Practitioner and the Medical Director of Diamed Diagnostical Center Limited; Dr Benjamin Sarkodie, Interventional Radiologist in Ghana, Dr Ayman Al-Hendy, Professor and Director of Translational Research from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Illinois/Chicago.

The Board of Directors of the Fibroid Foundation Africa are Jane Amerley Oku, CEO of Janok Foundation, Ms Lillian Prince, Founder of Biostatistics and Research Awareness Initiatives Network, Inc., Dr Daniel Kofi Yeboah, Hawa Memorial Saviour Hospital, Rev Mrs Lynda C. Fiati, Administrative Director of Stelin Automotive and Trading Co. Limited, and Rev Mrs Elizabeth Korasre, Founder of Real Opportunities Network.