Cervical cancer is the most frequent cancer among women in Ghana. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in 2008 3,038 Ghanaian women developed cervical cancer and more than 2,000 Ghanaian woman died because of cervical cancer. However, cervical care is not a service currently provided in the Upper West Region, requiring women to travel up to 700km to receive treatment. The distance to health care centers offering cervical cancer treatment significantly impacts the morbidity and mortality associated with cancer cases. During the 2011 year, 93% of the cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in the Wa Regional Hospital arrived in advanced stage where very little could be done to effectively treat them. Statistics such as these are why MedPLUS Connect is partnering with Dr. Chris Fofie, a dedicated physician at the Wa Regional Hospital, to establish a cervical cancer screening and treatment program in Wa. By doing so, we hope to catch these cases before becoming so advanced and provide accessible treatment for women in the Upper West Region. Throughout the five district hospitals in the region, select nurses will be trained to conduct visual inspections to screen for both potential cervical cancer cases and Human Papilloma Virus (a known risk factor for cervical cancer). Suspected cases will then be referred to Dr. Fofie’s treatment center at the Wa Regional Hospital. We're partnering with Global Giving to fundraise for this program during Nov 25th- Dec 31st. We will post updates when our project is up on their website and we are able to start accepting donations!
Women at the Wa Regional Hospita