Friday, 29 March

Let’s help every cancer patient with treatment – Agyinasare urges corporations, CSOs, foreign missions to support ‘The Cancer Project Foundation Ghana’

Health News
Archbishop Charles Agyinasare is the Chief Patron of The Cancer Project Foundation Ghana

Corporate Ghana, religious organisations, foreign missions, charity organisations and individuals must join hands to support The Cancer Project Foundation Ghana, in the fight against cancer in the country, Archbishop Charles Agyinasare has urged. 

Delivering the keynote address at the launch of the foundation, the founder of Perez Chapel International, who is the chief patron, said: “Cancer is increasingly ravaging precious human beings and entire families, even though it is preventable in some cases”, noting: “This is where The Cancer Project Foundation Ghana comes in”.

The foundation aims to support cancer sufferers through treatment, counselling, and rehabilitation; promote cancer prevention through education, awareness creation, screening, testing, early detection, and treatment to ensure survivability; provide advocacy in health care policies to ensure quality health care for cancer sufferers, and support the provision of basic and critical health care equipment for cancer treatment. 

The Archbishop noted that “there is so much for us to do”, pointing out that “the launch of the foundation at this time is quite appropriate”.

“Let us lend a hand to provide a better future for cancer sufferers”, he appealed, urging: “Let us work to ensure that we can reach every cancer sufferer and help them receive the necessary support”. 

Read Archbishop Agyinasare’s full speech below: 

Closing the Care Gap Close || Launch of The Cancer Project, Ghana || 21.09.2022

Posted by Archbishop Charles Agyinasare on Wednesday, September 21, 2022

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY

THE CHIEF PATRON, THE ARCHBISHOP CHARLES AGYINASARE 

Mr Chairman,

Distinguished Patrons,

And Guests,

Management & Staff of TCPF Ghana,

Members of the Press,

Ladies and gentlemen,

All protocols observed, 

Thank you for coming from far and near to grace this occasion with your presence. You are welcome. It is a great privilege for me to be here this afternoon to give the keynote address as we launch The Cancer Project Foundation Ghana. 

Mr Chairman, as we may well be aware, cancer is reported to be the second leading cause of death globally, claiming some 10 million lives yearly. According to data from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, in 2020 alone, there were over 15,800 recorded deaths in Ghana owing to cancer. Breast cancer accounted for 18.7% of new cases; cervical cancer, 11.6%; liver cancer, 14.4%; prostate cancer, 8.9%; non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 5%; and other cancers made up a whopping 41.5% of new cases! It is reported that about 70% of the global deaths are from low to middle-income countries, including our beloved country, Ghana. Interestingly, more than 40% of all cancer-related deaths are preventable if holistic action is taken on modifiable risk factors like smoking, alcohol use, poor diet, and physical inactivity. Additionally, about 33.3% of all cancer-related deaths could be prevented through routine screening and tests, early detection and treatment. 

Not only does cancer lead to death in our country, but also the accompanying stigmatization and difficulties in early detection and treatment all add to the challenges of this disease. I could go on and on with the statistics, but the point is that cancer is increasingly ravaging precious human beings and entire families, even though it is preventable in some cases. This is where The Cancer Project Foundation Ghana comes in. Like a senior doctor friend of mine from Ridge said “In this part of the country, a cancer diagnosis spells automatic death. So the cancer project is handing back breath to cancer patients”. 

The foundation aims to intensify research into more effective ways of ensuring cancer patients get the best provisions and management to full recovery. Ultimately, the desire is that we would have a future where people can live healthier and longer lives, having access to quality health care and cancer services. To this end, the organisation has been working extensively behind the scenes for the past 3 years travelling across the length and breadth of Ghana, gathering serious data on cancer sufferers and the general support required. 

Mr Chairman, to summarise in four points, the foundation was established to:

1.    Support cancer sufferers through treatment, counselling, and rehabilitation.

2.    Promote cancer prevention through education and an awareness creation strategy: screening and testing, early detection, and treatment to ensure survivability.

3.    Provide advocacy in health care policies to ensure quality health care for cancer sufferers.

4.    To support the provision of basic and critical health care equipment for cancer treatment. 

I am personally interested in this great cause for many reasons: firstly, as an ordinary human being, it pains me to see the plight of others, especially those who are stricken with sickness. I lost my mom and three of my biological siblings to sickness. Seeing the torment that cancer sufferers go through, I can only sympathise with them. Secondly, as a man of God, I know that God has a great love for humanity, and therefore a deep hatred for sickness and death; and that is why He has made every provision for healing and life through Jesus Christ, and has also equipped mankind with wisdom and skill in the area of medicine and medical science. The Bible says in Psalms 103:3 that God forgives our iniquities and heals our diseases, and Jesus told His disciples to go everywhere preaching the gospel and healing the sick. Having also been in a divine healing and miracle ministry for almost forty years, I have seen multiplied thousands healed of various sicknesses and diseases by the power of God, and yet I am always moved by the many that do not receive their healing in my meetings. This devil called cancer must not be tolerated! 

So, if God hates sickness, and I hate it too, and therefore God wants both Christian ministers and medical doctors to bring healing to people, then The Cancer Project Foundation Ghana is on track, and we need your support and involvement. 

Mr Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, the theme for World Cancer Day 2022 – 2024, is CLOSE THE CARE GAP.

 This theme couldn't have been more appropriate, as it seeks to: 

1.    To eradicate the inequities and inadequacies in cancer care around the world.

2.    Offer the opportunity to governments, policymakers, and health care professionals to question and correct the status quo in the health care protocols.

3.    Initiate action to reduce stigma.

4.    Listen to the perspective of cancer sufferers 

Precious one, let us as a society do more to alleviate the burden of cancer sufferers and their communities. 

Mr. Chairman, from the foregoing, there is so much for us to do, and the launch of the foundation at this time is quite appropriate. Let us lend a hand to provide a better future for cancer sufferers. 

Let us work to ensure that we can reach every cancer sufferer and help them receive the necessary support. I, therefore, call on Corporate Ghana, religious organisations, foreign missions, charity organisations, and individuals to join us as we embark on this all-important project for God and country. The time to act is now. 

Thank you for your attention. God richly bless you.

 

 

Source: ClassFMonline.com