Vice President calls for wider access to cancer care

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has highlighted the need to expand access to cancer diagnosis and treatment, especially for people in hard-to-reach communities.

The Vice President was speaking at the launch of the 2026 Thank You Teacher National Raffle, spearheaded by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Sweden Ghana Medical Center. The raffle aims to support the upgrading and expansion of the cancer center.

She commended the collaboration between the Center and the Mahama Cares Initiative, which seeks to improve access to care for those living with serious medical conditions.

Speaking in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she said attention throughout the month has focused on education, early detection, and timely treatment, but families still face uncertainty around cost, access to specialist care, and practical difficulties.

“Early detection can make a significant difference to treatment options and outcomes for many forms of cancer. Yet awareness must be backed with diagnosis and appropriate care. For many people, distance and travel cost can make an already difficult experience even harder.

“Improving access to diagnosis definitely is an important part of strengthening our response to cancer. I therefore commend GNAT for the ambition to extend these services beyond Accra,” she said.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang noted that the proposed satellite centers linked to the main center could bring services closer to communities across the country.

She added however that diagnosis is only part of the journey, as patients need clear information about their condition, guidance on treatment options, and support through what can be a long and demanding process.

"As we expand access to services, we must therefore keep the patient at the center of our efforts. It's all about people. Therefore, compassion, dignity, and continuity of care are as important as the infrastructure delivering the treatment," she said.

She described the initiative as a reminder that national development is a shared responsibility, with government bearing central responsibility but professional associations, businesses and institutions also playing an important role.

Meanwhile, President of GNAT, Prosper Tachie, appealed to government to make a budgetary allocation for the operation and maintenance of the Sweden Ghana Medical Center.

He said the Center is a heritage acquired by GNAT that must be preserved and acknowledged the contributions of Opanyin Kwame Pianim, whom he described as the brainchild of the Teachers Fund.

"Aside engaging us with the Mahama Care Initiative, if there can be a budgetary allocation, something small, any amount, just to support us maintain this facility, because we cannot lose this center because we are unable to raise money to sustain it," he appealed.