As part of BEIGE’s contribution toward the fight against the menace of breast cancer, The BEIGE Foundation – the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of BEIGE – organised a Breast Cancer Talk and a Screening Exercise for its members and the general public.
The event took place on October 20, 2017 at BEIGE Academy, the Learning and Development arm of The BEIGE Foundation, and saw in attendance a majority of the ladies from BEIGE dressed in pink attire or attire with a touch of pink.
Over the years, prevention of the disease has been seen as one of the surest ways of fighting the menace of breast cancer. It was on the back of this that the exercise was undertaken to educate and screen the ladies for early detection and treatment. Recent statistics from World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed startling figures regarding the rate at which the disease is killing women worldwide. Especially, in Ghana, the Breast Cancer disease has been identified as the leading cause of Cancer deaths among women. Consequently, any exercise geared toward creating awareness and preventing the disease is highly welcome.
The seminar had in attendance doctors and staff from the Korle-Bu Breast Cancer Unit. Dr. Josephine Nsaful, a surgeon at the Unit, spoke about the importance of early detection. She advised participants on the need to undertake self-examination of their breasts. She gave reassurance that early detection of the disease could result in its treatment and thus prevent avoidable deaths. She warned women not to delay when they realise there is a lump in their breast, as any delay could cause them to lose their lives. She therefore called for support from husbands of such women to help fight the menace.
Speaking on the exercise’s importance, Akosua Koranteng Adayi – Director of The BEIGE Foundation – advised both men and women to frequent the hospital to undergo screening tests as the disease can affect both men and women.
Speaking on the initiatives that BEIGE has undertaken to support the exercise of creating awareness among the general public, she said that BEIGE has over 2000 staff who wear the BEIGE Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirts to bring the public’s attention to the menace. Not only that but she also mentioned that BEIGE staff have contributed money to support the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign geared toward prevention and early detection of the disease. Also, according to her, BEIGE has made contributions to Korle-Bu Hospital as part of its effort in helping fight the menace.
The event was attended by staff from all subsidiaries of BEIGE, comprising both males and females and also the general public. There was also an open forum for staff and the general public to ask questions that would satisfy their anxieties and curiosities regarding prevention and treatment of the disease.
