AL-HAYAAT FOUNDATION ORGANISES FREE CERVICAL SCREENING FOR RESIDENTS OF ADENTA

By Raissa Sambou                             

AdA beneficiary undergoing the screening exercise.d caption

Founder and President of the Al-Hayaat Foundation, a nonprofit organisation, Hajia Hanatu Abubakar has advised women to undergo regular cervical cancer screening to detect the disease early for treatment.

According to her, early detection could be treated successfully to avoid any fatalities that may occur.

Hajia Hanatu gave the advise when her outfit organised a free cervical cancer screening and awareness programme at Adenta in collaboration with the Battor Catholic Hospital.

The exercise brought together about hundred women from Adenta and its environs.

The philanthropist called on government to implement policies that would support the health of women especially those affected with breast and cervical cancer.

Hajia Hanatu also urged corporate bodies and individuals to join the campaign of eradicating cervical cancer through awareness creation.

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Touching on the prevalence rate of the disease, she stated that, World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics show that, about 400,000 women were diagnosed of cervical cancer across the world yearly, adding that about 275,000 women died and 80 per cent of these death cases were recorded in developing countries including Ghana.

AddHajia Hanatu (middle), in a group picture with some nurses of the Battor Catholic Hospital and some beneficiaries of the screening exercise.

“As a result of the impact of the silent killer on women in the society, there was a need for all to come on board to help address the menace,” she stressed.

Her outfit, she added, was poised on promoting healthy lifestyles and educating and empowering of women.

Touching on the symptoms of cervical cancer, a nurse who participated in the screening exercise, Mrs. Comfort Mawusi Wormenor said fatigue, abnormal bleeding from the vagina, such as bleeding between menstrual periods, after sex, or after menopause, pain in the lower belly or pelvis, pain during sex and abnormal vaginal discharge were signs of the sexually transmitted disease.

She therefore reiterated the need for women who experienced such symptomsa to rush to the hospital for immediate attention.

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The health practitioner also advised men to be faithful to their partners to avoid the spread of the disease.

In an interview with the Ghanaian Times after the interview, a beneficiary of the screening exercise, Mrs. Salina Ahmed Tijani lauded Al-Hayaat Foundation for the kind gesture and advised that such programmes should be extended to the rural areas as often as possible.