The wife of Ondo State governor, Mrs Betty Akeredolu, on Sunday, identified ignorance, ill-equipped hospitals as contributing to death arising from the breast cancer disease in Nigeria.
Mrs. Akeredolu who stated this during a press conference heralding the 20th anniversary of Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) and 3rd International Breast Cancer symposium, urged breast cancer patients not to lay the
cause of their predicament on the door steps of witches.
The founder of BRECAN advised women with the disease to make hospital their first port of call rather than seeking spiritual help, saying breast cancer should not be seen as death sentence.
She said “they prefer spiritual help and the hospital is always the last port of call, they only turn up in a clinic when the disease has eaten them up, when nothing can be done to save them.”
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She however, maintained that the early detection of breast cancer will go along way to improve breast cancer survival saying “this remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control”
She stressed the need for more awareness programme on the disease especially among the young school girls, disclosing her determination to spread the awareness campaign to the grassroots, also citing and lack of statistical data as contributory to death of cancer patients.
Speaking on the 20th anniversary of BRECAN and 3rd International Breast Cancer symposium, the wife of the governor said the programme will come up between the 18th and 21st of October, 2017.
Accordimg to her, the opening ceremony of the event with the theme “Prioritising Breast Cancer Survival in Nigeria” will hold at the International Event Center, The DOME in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
She explained that workshop will take place at the Ondo State Public Service Training Institute (PSTI) at Ilara Mokin in Ifedore local government area while Gala Night will be held at the Smokin Hills, Ilara Mokin, while eight international scholars from across the globe will deliver lectures at the event.
The BRECAN founder who founded the organisation in October 1997 after her experience with breast cancer, said BRECAN is a non – profit and non-governmental organization with a mission to eliminate breast cancer as a life threatening disease in Nigeria.
She said this can be achieved through public education, patient support, advocacy and research.
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