The fight against breast cancer and HIV is increasingly being taken beyond hospitals and clinics, with health authorities turning to community-based outreach to improve access to screening, early diagnosis and care.
For residents of Krowor in the Greater Accra Region, a health outreach organised by the Ghana AIDS Commission in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, offered an opportunity to access breast examinations, HIV testing, malaria screening and other essential health services.
Held at the forecourt of the Nungua Traditional Council, the exercise sought to bring preventive healthcare closer to residents and encourage them to know their health status.
The breast cancer component comes against a worrying national picture. Ghana recorded an estimated 5,487 new breast cancer cases and 2,695 deaths in 2024. Yet, a study using data from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey found that only 18.4 per cent of women surveyed had undergone breast cancer screening.
The figures highlight a significant gap between the burden of the disease and efforts to detect it early.
The HIV component was equally significant, as Ghana continues to grapple with new infections despite progress in treatment and prevention. The 2025 National HIV Estimates and Projections put the number of people living with HIV at 337,435, with 13,951 new infections recorded during the year. Greater Accra alone accounted for an estimated 77,512 people living with the virus.
Health officials say expanding access to testing is critical to identifying undiagnosed infections, linking people to treatment and reducing further transmission. HIV testing and counselling services were therefore among the key interventions offered at the Nungua outreach.
Representing the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, called for stronger support for people affected by breast cancer, emphasising the importance of early detection, access to treatment and support for survivors.
“A diagnosis can disrupt employment, affect businesses, reduce household income and increase caregiving responsibilities, placing additional pressure on families already experiencing financial difficulties, particularly for women in vulnerable conditions,” she noted.
Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kharmacelle Prosper Akanbong, said taking health services directly into communities was an important strategy for removing barriers to healthcare, encouraging preventive practices and improving access to screening and testing.
“By bringing HIV testing and breast cancer screening to the people of Nungua here, we are making it easier for people to take care of their health while doing their daily activities. This is particularly important for market women, traders, drivers, head porters, young people and other community members who may find it difficult to visit health facilities during working hours,” he said.
For two breast cancer survivors who shared their experiences, the outreach offered an opportunity to remind women that a diagnosis should not be a death sentence, particularly when the disease is detected early and patients receive the necessary care and support.
The outreach brought together breast cancer awareness, HIV prevention and other essential health services, reinforcing the importance of routine screening and knowing one’s health status.
For health authorities, the challenge remains ensuring that such community interventions translate into sustained screening, early diagnosis, treatment and continued care beyond the outreach. More than 500 people were screened for breast cancer and tested for HIV at the event.
By Sarah Apenkroh
