Students Of Marist College In NY Visit Peace And And Love Hospital & Breast Care Int'l Again

Two faculty members and Eight students of New York based Marist College have paid a working visit once again to Peace and Love Hospitals and Breast Care International as part of a tour to familiarize with the healthcare situation in Ghana. The School visited Peace and Love Hospitals and Breast Care International in June last year. Shortly upon arrival at the Kumasi premises of the hospital, the students were given a guided tour of Peace and Love Hospital. The tour afforded them the opportunity to witness the facilities available at the hospital and the medical services offered to the general public. The students were visibly impressed with what they saw at the hospital and the warm reception accorded them by the staff. The quick tour finally landed them at the conference hall of the hospital where the Chief Executive Officer, and the President of Breast Care International, Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe Addai officially welcomed them in a dignified Ghanaian manner. She then delivered a detailed lecture on breast cancer situation in Ghana. Using a PowerPoint presentation, she introduced the lecturers and students to the activities of Breast Care International and the vision that necessitated the establishment of the organization and the pioneering role it has played in advocacy and awareness creation. Dr. (Mrs) Wiafe Addai has throughout her practice as a surgeon witnessed the stark reality of breast diseases especially breast cancer which was usually reported to the consulting room at advanced stages when treatment becomes virtually impossible. She told the attentive students that her initial research had indicated that ignorance was responsible for the late presentation to hospitals of breast diseases for proper diagnosis and treatment. The determination to make a change and empower women with knowledge of the disease to bring a stop to needless deaths led her to form the Breast Care International over a decade ago as an advocacy organization to create awareness and conduct research into breast cancer. She revealed how breast cancer cases are surging globally, but mortality in Europe and North America is low whiles it is on the rise in developing nations of Africa, South America and some parts of Asia. Dr. (Mrs.) Wiafe Addai is convinced that prompt action has to be taken to avoid what she termed as needless deaths among women, who are the economic backbone of several homes and the nation. The class was presented with advanced cases of breast cancer that had undergone surgery and she mentioned barriers that prevent women, who are hard hit by the disease, from seeking help from the appropriate avenues. Lack of counseling, bad or inadequate treatment, high cost of treatment and lack of access to treatment centers were identified as some of the challenges women face in the country. She explained how BCI/PLH hopes to solve the problem of inadequate treatment with the permanent establishment of an oncology training program at the hospital. About 80 nurses have already been trained in a three-day residential workshop. Dr. (Mrs) Wiafe Addai, who has received international recognition for her work, explained how myths and misconceptions have also militated against the search for cure and solution to the disease. As part of the core aims of BCI, she mentioned that the campaign has been taken to students of senior high schools across the country to imbibe in them knowledge about the disease as they grow into adulthood. They are to also serve as educators in their homes and communities. The American students who were overwhelmed learnt of several past activities carried by BCI and PLH which include free screenings in urban and remote parts of the country where hundreds of women throng to be educated and screened by the well trained medical team of PLH. Dr. (Mrs.) Wiafe Addai narrated how survivors have played important roles in the awareness creation and education exercises embarked by BCI/PLH. �We do as much as we can to let our people know that our women are breast cancer survivors� she said. She conceded that much needs to be done, but was optimistic that the bigger picture of establishing a center of excellence and making Peace and Love Hospitals a one stop health shop is on course and driven by a motivation to provide healthcare to save lives. The interactive nature of the presentation allowed questions to be asked by both the students and their lecturers to which Dr (Mrs) Wiafe Addai readily answered. The Dean of the faculty of science at Marist College, Professor Neil Fitzgerald, on behalf of the delegation thanked the CEO and staff for the warm reception and looked forward to future engagements. The Country Coordinator of Marist College, Garvin Webb, who led the delegation later told BCI news that the team is in the country as part of academic requirement to introduce the students to practical experience of the health situation in developing countries. She praised BCI/PLH for the outreach programs conducted to create awareness and educate people. She thinks that a collaborative partnership between BCI/PLH and Marist College could be established to pave way for students of the later to undertake internship at the hospital.