She said early detection of cervical cancer could help in preventing the disease from reaching advanced stage where it could be detrimental to the patient.

"So women having fear of the unknown as their deterrent for not screening should know that early detection is key to preventing the disease," she stated.

Ms Eduful said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Tuesday.

The screening, which started in January 2020 as part of the nationwide cervical cancer awareness campaign according to her, has seen reduction in attendance.

The PNO said it was necessary for women to go for the screening as those screened so far know their status, which they did not know previously.

"Those who have had changes in the cervix are going through diagnostic testing to see what can best be done for them," she added.

Cervical cancer is the second most frequent occurring cancer in women after breast cancer and common cause of cancer related deaths in developing countries.

Current statistics in Ghana indicates that every year 3,151 women are diagnosed with the disease and 2,119 die from it. It is common in women and girls who are sexually active.

Deaths due to cervical cancer are projected to rise by almost 25 per cent over the next 10 years, hence the need for the campaign to allow for more screening.

She called on parents to vaccinate their young girls against cervical cancer to ensure they are free from the disease in future as it is preventable.

The PNO said currently the screening exercise is going for GHS 80.00 saying "but by June we will go back to our old pricing system of GHS 150.00," she said.