The Gender Affairs Office and the HTU Clinic have partnered with the Volta Regional Directorate of Health and the Ho Municipal Directorate of Health to organise a two-day free cervical cancer screening exercise for women in the university community and its surrounding environment.
The exercise, targeted 300 women in the Ho Municipality.
According to Dr. Redeemer S. Fiebor, the University Director of Health Service, over 2000 women, including young girls as young as 10 years old, are diagnosed with cervical cancer in Ghana every year, with about 1000 deaths resulting from the disease. He emphasized the importance of early detection in the treatment of cervical cancer, adding that the best way to combat it is to get tested for the disease and prevent its spread.
He also noted that cervical cancer could be treated if detected early. He urged men to encourage their wives or partners to be screened, as the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer could be transmitted to men through sexual intercourse, resulting in other forms of cancer.
Dr. Liticia Effah-Manu, the Gender Affairs Officer, stated that the exercise was part of the University’s social inclusion programme, which is one of the University’s core values.
She pointed out that cervical cancer is the second most dangerous cancer worldwide, killing women across the globe after breast cancer, and that the exercise aimed to encourage voluntary screening to detect the disease early for effective treatment.
© Directorate of Public Affairs, HTU