New cancer centre at Cape Coast Hospital to reduce mortality rate – Dr. Anderson

The Country Manager of ROCHE Ghana, Dr. Phillip Anderson has revealed that the newly opened cancer treatment centre at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital will reduce the mortality rate in the region.

Persons diagnosed with cancer have had to commute to the capital, Greater Accra or Kumasi for treatment since the regional hospitals at Central, Western and Western North do not have the resources equipped to handle cancer cases.

However, hope returned to the region when ROCHE partnered with the government to set up the Oncology Service centre [a cancer treatment centre] at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital which was launched on the 24th of June 2021.

Speaking at the launch of the Oncology Service centre and the commissioning of a cold room for the hospital, Dr. Phillip Anderson stated that the cancer treatment centre would save the lives of people who have to travel far to get good healthcare.

He said, “Bringing such world-class quality cancer care to our people will certainly change the narrative. This will reduce the high incidence and mortality of cancers in the region.”

It will also “improve the effective diagnosis and treatment of cancer through primary prevention, effective screening and early detection. But significantly, it will also improve service delivery across the continuum of cancer control through effective planning and coordination linked to improved resources.

The Cape Coast Regional Director of Health Service, Dr. [Mrs.] Akosua A. Owusu-Sarpong hailed the efforts of ROCHE and emphasized on the need to “properly harness the benefits in the interests of our clients living across the region and beyond.”

Roche’s partnership with the Ministry of Health will help develop infrastructure across the country by launching oncology services in three new cancer centres with the goal of bridging geographic access barriers to quality health care.