To mark this year’s cervical cancer awareness month, the Medical Women Association of Ghana (MWAG), in partnership with Yazz products, has organised free medical screening on the subject for women across the various regions in the country.
With a target to screen about 1,500 women between age 25 to 45 years across the country, Yazz set up free screening centres in partnership with various public hospitals across the country to reach all women who are interested in checking their cervical cancer status as it seeks to create awareness of the disease.
The producers of the Yazz Sanitary products, in collaboration with the MWAG, launched the campaign under the theme: ‘Early screening, early detection, saves lives’ at the Ga West Municipal Hospital (Amasaman).
In her address at the launch event, President of MWAG, Dr. Mary Amoakoh-Coleman, indicated that since 2015, the association has been engaging in cervical cancer sensitisation and screening with support from Lexta Ghana – the producers of Yazz products. The partnership, she said, has touched so many lives; and now most women are aware of the condition and are interested in knowing their status, which is a good thing.
“We have dedicated every January – as done everywhere else – to cervical cancer sensitisation, and the awareness among women across the country is very encouraging, so far. Cervical cancer continues to be one of the life-threatening conditions affecting many women, hence, the dedication of the month of January to create more awareness and encourage voluntary testing for early diagnosis and treatment to avoid preventable deaths associated with late diagnosis,” she said.
She added that unlike the COVID-19 vaccine, the cervical cancer vaccine is not free but it is quite expensive. So, MWAG is advocating for the government to subsidise it to make it cheaper for woman. “We are also calling for the treatment to be catered for under the NHIS. However, to prevent the spread, the screening should rather be made free under the NHIS since that is less expensive compared to treatment,” she added.
Marketing Manager at Lexta Ghana, Ernest Okine Tawiah, indicated that the motive behind the continuous dedication and commitment of funds to the fight against cervical cancer is to eliminate diseases in the country and ensure that future generations are free from such a condition.
“The six years partnership we have had with Medical Women Association of Ghana to battle cervical cancer has made a lot of impact, and we choose this initiative because it is the second leading cause of death in women. Moreover, since most of our products are largely used by women and in households, supporting such as course is a reasonable social responsibility initiative,” he said.
Yazz Ambassador, Stacy Amoateng, urged the ladies to make the right decisions and abstain from promiscuity as it threatens their health and social well-being.
Creating an analogy between ripe and unripe mangoes and which one will they prefer, she advised them to stick to the ripe mangoes – a preferred option, and stay chaste until the right person comes for marriage. She urged them to continue to buy Yazz products because any time they purchased the brand, they are contributing to the elimination of cervical cancer.
Other factors that predispose a person to the condition – such as multiple sexual partners, unprotected sex, excessive smoking and alcohol intake – are all on the rise in the country among the youth, making it important to intensify awareness of cervical cancer, stated Dr. Eric Sarpong Ntiamoah, Medical Director, Ga West Municipal Hospital.
Present at the event were female students from the Amasaman Senior High and Technical School and members of the Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers Association, Amasaman chapter.
Over the past six years, the MWAG and Yazz partnership has impacted close to 10,000 lives through screening, treatment and distribution of related sanitary products to women.
