Breast Cancer Patients Need Psychological Education During Treatments--Dr. Wiafe Addai

Founder and President of Breast Care International (BCI) Dr. Mrs. Beatrice Wiafe Addai has said that persons diagnosed with breast cancer need to be professionally psyched to enable them to prepare their minds not only in the treatment of the disease but to dispel the belief that the contraction of the disease equals death.

She said these persons, who are mostly women, are already confronted with other social issues like poverty, and the contraction of the disease adds up to their woes and if they do not get proper counseling, they might end up dying not from the breast cancer but from the psychological trauma.

Dr. Wiafe Addai, who is also the CEO of Peace and Love Hospitals in Kumasi and Accra, said this in her speech during when Professor Theresa Wiseman and Amanda Shewbridge from the Royal Marsden Cancer Centre in the United Kingdom, visited Peace and love Hospital at Oduom in Kumasi, on Friday.

The pair was at the hospital as part of their research into the unmet needs of women following primary breast cancer treatment in two African countries and the UK; feasibility of implementing holistic needs assessments, care plans and treatment summaries in Africa.

Peace and love Hospital in Ghana and Ocean Road Hospital in Tanzania are the only two countries selected from Africa where the research is been conducted.

Dr. Wiafe Addai said breast cancer patients need their mindset to be prepared adequately before, during and after the treatment so that it may help them in the treatment.

“These patients may have problems at home, been a marital, unemployment issues and other social issues. If these persons are not given adequate counseling, they might die even before the start of the treatment, not because of the disease, but the situation they might find themselves, in addition to the already social problem they encounter,” she said.

On the importance of the research, Dr. Wiafe Addai said the research, which lasts for six months, will help Ghana to collect credible data in the management of breast cancer.

“When a person is diagnosed with breast cancer, there is a way of telling the person and if it is not well communicated to the person, she may go and never come back. The next time she comes, it will be at the stage that little can be done about it to save her. The research will allow for the collection of credible data in the management of cancer. It will also allow other West Africa countries to emulate Ghana because a lot of people travel from these countries to seek medical treatment in breast cancer at the Peace and love Hospital here in Kumasi,” she outlined.

On the choice of Peace and Love Hospital in Ghana for the study, Amanda Shewbridge said the practice of Ghanaians living in the UK in the treatment of breast cancer is similar to those living in Ghana here, especially reporting late to hospitals with the disease.

“Even though the health care services in the treatment of breast cancer are free, Ghanaians in the UK seek treatments from the traditional healers as practice in Ghana here, instead of going to the hospital. So choosing Peace and Love Hospital in Ghana will help us in our study to find out how we can help these people in the treatment,” she added.

“There is the need to changed the mindset of Ghanaians on the treatment of the disease, and in Ghana here, Dr. Wiafe has been doing tremendous work, that’s why we are working with her in this research,” she complimented Dr. Wiafe.

Professor Theresa Wiseman said the research will bring out the problems facing the cancer patients and finding ways to help them.

“Our work will be very successful because already there is a patient group (Peace and Love Survival Association) which will help them in our study. The data collected will help us in education, supporting them to improve their welfare, their experiences and that will give evidence to get funding to develop programmes to help the women,” she added.