Poly students celebrate week

Sunyani, May 30, GNA - A Gynaecologist at the Regional Hospital in Sunyani on Friday warned that women risk being infected with cervical cancer through negative sexual behaviours such as multiple sex partners early and insertion of substances into reproductive organs. Dr. James Boakye fordjour said globally more than 40,000 new cases of cervical cancer was recorded annually whilst 20 different diseases were associated with the vagina.

Also 25-30 diseases are related to cervical cancer and that the regional hospital records approximately 200 cases of cervical cancer every year.

Dr Fordjour was speaking at the launching of the SRC women's week celebration of Sunyani Polytechnic, as part of activities marking the weeklong celebration of Ghana National Union of Polytechnic students. The celebration was under the theme, Breast and Cervical Cancer, the silent killers of every woman.

He noted that harmful practices such as the insertion of concoctions including cassava sticks, herbs, pepper, ginger, salt into the vagina in an attempt to abort unwanted pregnancies was gaining notoriety among teenagers between ages of 12 and 13 in the Sunyani municipality.

Dr Fordjour stressed that through such negative practices, one could end up with rotten uterus, premature menopause, menstrual disorders and bareness and also susceptible to all kinds of diseases. He called on young girls to wait till marriage before indulging in sex in order to avoid infection of cervical cancer, which he said was the commonest disease of the sexual organ.

Speaking on breast cancer, Dr. Ebenezer Nartey, a surgeon at the hospital, warned that women risk losing their breasts out of negligence or failure to detect early signs of breast cancer. He said 20 million people have the disease worldwide whilst 200 cases are recorded annually in Ghana.

The hospital, he stated, records 30 to 50 cases each year. Dr Nartey added that 80 per cent of breast cancer was detected by a development of a lump in the breast, whilst other causes included blood in the nipple of a women's breast and obesity.

The Surgeon said although its causes are not clearly known, certain factors such as early menstruation, among children under 20 years might serve as a sign or symptom of development of the disease. He urged women to visit health centres and to examine their breasts at least twice a month to detect any strange development to ensure early treatment of the disease.

Mrs. Many Agyepong, Dean of students, Sunyani polytechnic expressed concern over the lack of safety net within the social structure to cover girls left to fend for themselves in society.

She called on the government to enact laws to criminalize quack doctors to flush them out of the system.

She appealed to the government to intervene and give much attention to sexual reproductive health issues to safeguard the future of women . Mr Samuel Gyan, Vice Principal of the Polytechnic urged students to apply what they had learnt into practice to guarantee long life.