Veep backs GNAT plan to expand cancer care beyond Accra

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has welcomed plans by the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) to establish satellite cancer care centres in partnership with the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre to improve access to specialist treatment outside Greater Accra.

She said the initiative would help address challenges patients face in accessing cancer diagnosis and treatment, particularly those who must travel long distances and incur additional costs to receive specialised medical care.

Speaking at the launch of the 2026 Thank You Teacher National Raffle Campaign, the Vice President stressed the importance of early detection, timely treatment and sustained support for cancer patients and their caregivers.

She called on stakeholders to support government efforts to strengthen cancer care and make essential services more accessible to people across the country.

“Early detection can make a significant difference to treatment options and outcomes for many forms of cancer. Yet awareness must be backed with diagnosis and appropriate care. For many people, distance and travel cost can make an already difficult experience even harder,” she said.

Professor Opoku-Agyemang added that expanding access to diagnostic services was crucial to improving the country’s response to cancer.

“Improving access to diagnosis definitely is an important part of strengthening our response to cancer. I therefore commend GNAT for the ambition to extend these services beyond Accra,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre, Dr Clement Egyin Edusa, disclosed that the facility was in the process of onboarding the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCares, to support cancer treatment.

The initiative is expected to strengthen efforts to ease the financial burden of cancer care and improve access to treatment for patients.

The President of GNAT, Prosper Tachie, also appealed to the government to make budgetary allocations to sustain the operations of the centre.

The 2026 Thank You Teacher National Raffle Campaign seeks to celebrate teachers for their contributions to national development while raising funds to support the Cancer Foundation at the Sweden Ghana Medical Centre.

The campaign combines recognition of the teaching profession with efforts to mobilise resources for cancer care and improve support for patients and their families.