A Paediatric Oncologist, Dr Nihad Salifu, has called on all stakeholders, including parents, chiefs, and the media, to create more awareness of childhood cancer to ensure early treatment. 

She explained that each year, approximately 1,500 children were diagnosed with cancer in the country, yet tragically, nearly half of those cases went undiagnosed.

She added that many children were only taken to healthcare facilities after their cancer had already spread, severely limiting their chances of survival, hence the need for all stakeholders to rally together for increased awareness and early detection.

“Unlike adult cancers, childhood cancers cannot be easily prevented through lifestyle changes; some children are born with these conditions,” she said at the launch of the Childhood Cancer Awareness month last Friday. 

Month

Also known as “Gold September”, Childhood Cancer Awareness is commemorated in September each year to highlight the impact of cancer on children, young people and their families.

Gold September is marked by organisations around the world with several activities and the use of a gold ribbon, with the explanation that gold is a precious metal that goes through fire to become more refined.

It better symbolised what children with cancer go through.

The launch, which took place at the premises of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, was on the theme, “Inspiring action towards cure”.

Dr Salifi stressed the importance of a streamlined referral system, allowing suspected cases of childhood cancer to bypass unnecessary delays in diagnostics.

With an aim for a significant improvement in survival rates, the Oncolohist further discussed the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer, which aims to increase survival rates to at least 60 per cent by 2030.

She said Ghana was set to benefit from this initiative, which includes access to essential childhood cancer medicines starting next year.

In the next five years, she said the country aimed to increase its cure rate from 30 to at least 60 per cent.

The Director of the Public Health Division at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, reaffirmed the government's commitment to prioritising childhood cancer as a public health issue.

In line with that, he said the government was starting a training programme for child life specialists and building capacity in paediatric oncology nutrition to ensure the integration of paediatric care services into existing practices.

Dr Asiedu-Bekoe also announced the development of national guidelines in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) aimed at delivering safe and effective cancer treatment for children.

These guidelines include a supportive treatment component to ease the burden on families, particularly those living outside major cities.

The acting Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr Leslie Issa Adam-Zakariah, dispelled myths associated with childhood cancer.