Health experts and stakeholders in the treatment of childhood cancer (CC) have called for a collaborative effort by the government, organizations, and individuals to combat the disease.
They said cooperation in the treatment of children with cancer would ensure their high survival rate.
The experts made the call at the launch of the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra on Friday.
The event, held in collaboration with the Paediatric Society of Ghana was on the theme: “Joining hands to fight childhood cancer.”
It highlighted the vital role of parents, families, and paediatricians in the early detection of childhood cancers, as well as mobilising enough resources for treatment.
Globally, about 400, 000 children below the age of 19 years are diagnosed with cancer annually.
Childhood cancer treatment requires a multidisciplinary team to provide not just medical care for children, such as chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, but also psychosocial support for the children and their families.
Over 80 percent childhood malignancies are curable if detected early and treated according to the appropriate protocols.
Dr. Lily Gloria Tagoe, an oncologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s Cancer Unit, said that while the condition was treatable, the lack of funding and a delay in diagnosis affects children’s survival rates.
She said all had a role to play in the treatment course, which included advocacy for early detection and diagnosis, as well as support from the government and organizations, charities, and individuals to ensure children’s survival.
Dr. Tagoe was worried that many parents had stopped treatment because of the inability to pay medical bills, even though many of them had received donor support.
She also expressed concern that the four childhood cancer treatments covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme were facing major implementation challenges, preventing children from receiving full coverage.
Dr Hilda Mantey Boye, President, Paediatric Society of Ghana (PSG), said the delay in diagnosis was causing a huge gap in the treatment.
She noted that many parents failed to seek early treatment, whilst health professionals also delayed in detecting the condition early.
Dr. Boye said that the PSG was collaborating with the Childhood Cancer Society of Ghana and other stakeholders to educate and equip health professionals on early disease detection and management, as well as media engagement.
It is to educate the public on early signs and warnings, the decision to seek early treatment, and to dispel myths about the disease.
Dr. Boye highlighted that treating childhood cancer was time-consuming and required an all-hands-on-deck approach to be successful.
“No one person can fight cancer alone, having a diagnosis of cancer is a big deal, it takes the support of the family, community, healthcare system to be able to manage a child with cancer and it takes a lot of resources, hence the support of the government and stakeholders,” she added.
Ms. Adwoa Pinamang Boateng Desu, County Coordinator, World Child Cancer, stated that while treatment of the cancer among children had been mostly funded by external donors, there was a need to ensure sustainability when that funding was no longer available.
She said there was a need to lobby for and ensure that the government committed more funds to childhood cancers and go beyond the NHIS’s coverage of the four cancer treatments.
Parents of children with the condition underlined the need for support to ensure their survival.
Madam Joy Otabil, the wife of the Head Pastor of the International Central Gospel Church, Pastor Mensah Otabil, was acknowledged for her immense support towards the treatment of the disease at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital over the years.
GNA