The NDC’s Maame Efua gives one of the patients a warm embrace after the exercise
• October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• The NDC has gone to the rescue of breast cancer patients unable to settle their medical bills
• Maame Efua Sekyi-Aidoo says this is part of creating awareness on the deadly disease
Following the intervention of the Deputy National Women’s Organizer of the NDC, Maame Efua Sekyi-Aidoo Houadjeto, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has released some three breast cancer patients who were detained due to their inability to settle their hospital bills.
The three women, Sarah Acquah, Madam Akua Danso and Anti Serwaa had undergone medical treatment for cervical and breast cancer but they were kept at the facility for 5 months after they failed to honour their financial obligations, a statement has said.
Maame Efua Sekyi-Aidoo Houadjeto, out of compassion and as part of the marking of October as global Breast Cancer Awareness Month, settled all their medical bills for them to be discharged.
Together with her team, the National Democratic Congress executive identified the women and moved to save them.
The team also donated toiletries and detergents worth about GH¢10,000 to the medical staff and patients at the ward.
One of the three, 65-year-old Sarah Acquah in an interview with the media, said she was abandoned by her family after she was diagnosed with her condition.
“My sickness has had a great toll on me since I came here. Due to the nature of my ailment I expended all my monies. I reached out for help from my family but I was ignore, even my children have abandoned me,” she said.
She further explained that since her detainment some months ago, she’s been praying for a good Samaritan to come her way.
“I have always been praying and God has answered my prayer. I am very grateful to her (Maame Afua Sakyi Addo) and her team. I pray God restore unto her whatever she has lost and I pray she never lacks,” she said beaming with smiles.
On her part, Maame Afua said the decision to defray the medial bills forms part of her contribution towards raising awareness for the impact of breast cancer across the globe.
“NDC women organizers always put together a program to create awareness for breast cancer. So, I decided that apart from creating awareness outside of Korle-Bu, let’s come inside Korle Bu and also find out who is being treated and how they are being treated.
“We realized that they were treated well but a few of them couldn’t pay their bills so we came in to support them and also donate a few things to the ward and not only to pay their bills but also to give them something to rejoice over. What we are doing here is all about charity,” she explained
She also admonished charity organizations to support patients struggling to settle their bills.
“We should let the nurses and patients here know that we care about them. Their job is not easy especially with the covid pandemic. Today we are discharging 3 patients here and the minimum bill is about 5,200ghc per person so I will ask Ghanaians to come and touch a heart here and also be an angel to some of the distressed patients,” she said.
Breast cancer, the most common cancer worldwide, is the leading cause of cancer mortality in Ghanaian women. Previous studies find Ghanaian women are diagnosed at a younger age and at more advanced stages (III and IV), and have tumors with characteristics similar to African American women.
