Breast cancer survivors in the Eastern Region have expressed concerns over escalating costs of treatment, which they say is leading to more deaths as many patients are forced to discontinue care.
They point to the high costs of mammography, chemotherapy, and essential medications as discouraging barriers, particularly affecting single mothers, widows, and divorcees who make up a large number of survivors.
Speaking to Starr News, Patience Amakuor, a breast cancer survivor from Koforidua, diagnosed in 2016, called on the government to fully incorporate breast cancer treatment into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to save lives.
On behalf of over a hundred survivors, she urged the government to make essential drugs and breast prostheses more affordable or free of charge, noting that the high costs are preventing many patients from accessing the care they need resulting in high mortality. "After the surgery, you need chemotherapy.