The Ondo State Government says it will procure detective diagnostic machine latest December to reduce the scourge of breast cancer in the state.
Dr Wahab Adegbenro, the state Commissioner for Health, said this in Akure at 2017 Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign and Screening.
Adegbenro noted that the state government was stepping up the awareness campaign and facilities that could afford women in the state breast examination for early detection of the scourge.
“And government is collaborating with some partners so that through examination breast cancer could be stopped. We are working to make sure that everybody in this state remains healthy.
“We are trying to get one diagnostic breast cancer machine Insha Allah by December and men can come forward too though breast cancer is very low in men,” he said.
The commissioner decried the rate of the scourge due to negative attitude towards orthodox medicine, acceptance of local myths, late appearance at hospitals and lack of financial will power.
According to him, breast cancer treatment is very expensive hence efforts must be made to detect it early because early detection saves lives.
Betty Akeredolu, wife of the state governor, commended the state specialist hospital for organising the event, saying there is need to keep informing populace about breast cancer.
Mrs Akeredolu decried the low awareness of the scourge in the state, saying that the awareness must not be limited to the state capital.
She added that everybody must get on the awareness trend to be an agent of reducing the disease, so that women would no longer die uselessly.
According to her, women should make complain in health facilities and do breast examination periodically and stop attaching seeking solution in faith-based outlets.
She said that knowledge was best empowerment that everyone needed to make a healthy society.
Mrs Akeredolu, therefore, called on members of public to partner with the major stakeholders by raising money for support awareness and programmes that could tackle breast cancer, saying that government could not do it alone.
Dr Moses Adewole, the Chief Medical Director, State Specialist Hospital, Akure, noted that breast cancer was the second leading cause of death in women and that a recent sharp rise in the prevalence had been noted.
Adewole added that recent findings showed that young populations that were supposed to be useful to their communities and the nation at large were badly affected.
According to him, one very important factor has been found to be a late presentation and those that detected it early attributed it to spiritual attack.
“The most painful of this is that most of the time they present very late when little or nothing can be done.
“Also, the number of availability treatment centres in the country make the care a difficult one and only two at the moment are even functioning,” he said.
The CMD therefore commended Mrs Akeredolu for her effort to establish an International Cancer Treatment Centre, pleading that the hospital should be considered for take-off of the treatment centre.