Breast Care International (BCI) has officially launched the 12th edition of the ‘BCI Ghana Walk for the Cure’ in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, October 12, 2024, and will take place in Ejisu, within the Ejisu Municipality.
The annual walk is designed to raise awareness about breast cancer, dispel myths, and educate the public on the importance of early detection. The theme for the 2024 event is, “Together We Can Change the Narrative About Cancers in Africa.”
Leading the charge in this ongoing battle against breast cancer is renowned breast cancer surgeon, Dr. Mrs. Beatrice Wiafe Addai. As the CEO of Peace and Love Hospitals and a leading advocate for breast cancer awareness, Dr. Wiafe Addai has been instrumental in BCI’s mission.
The BCI Ghana Walk for the Cure is recognized as the largest and most impactful breast cancer awareness event in Ghana. This year’s walk is expected to draw approximately 20,000 participants, including people from various sectors of society such as politicians, religious leaders, farmers, students, teachers, traditional leaders, and civil society organizations.
Dr. Wiafe Addai explained that Ejisu was chosen as the venue for this year’s walk, inspired by the support of Ejisumanhene Oguakro Afranie Okese II and Ejisumanhemaa Nana Yaa Asantewaa II. She believes these influential figures will help rally the nation’s women to join the fight—not with weapons, but through advocacy, public education, and nationwide breast cancer screenings.
Rising Breast Cancer Deaths in Ghana
In her address to the media, Dr. Wiafe Addai expressed concern over the increasing number of breast cancer deaths in Ghana.
“Before 2020, Ghana recorded around 1,800 deaths annually from 4,000 cases. Since 2020, that number has increased to 2,396 deaths out of 5,000 cases each year,” she revealed.
She stressed the importance of public education in reversing this alarming trend, emphasizing that breast cancer is curable if detected early. She called on the country to tackle breast cancer with the same intensity as it did COVID-19, rather than leaving the fight to organizations like BCI with limited resources.
Dr. Wiafe Addai concluded by encouraging all women to participate in the walk, highlighting the importance of frequent medical screenings to prevent and detect breast cancer early.
Background of BCI Ghana Walk for the Cure
The inaugural BCI Ghana Walk for the Cure took place in Kumasi in 2011 and was repeated in the same city the following year. In 2013, the event was held in Accra, and in 2014 it moved to Sunyani. The walk was hosted in Takoradi in 2015, returned to Kumasi in 2016, and continued in Koforidua in 2017 and Tamale in 2018.
Cape Coast hosted the event in 2019, but the walk was paused in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Accra hosted the 11th edition in 2023, and this year it returns to the Ashanti Region, specifically to Ejisu.
Source: Otecfm
