Date: 2014-08-19

Worried by the incessant cases of cervical and breast cancers and their debilitating effects on women, th wife of Kwara State Governor, Mrs. Omolewa Ahmed, has led members of the LEAH Foundation, a non- governmental organisation (NGO), to campaign against the ailments. Members of the foundation took to the streets and some communities in the state to sensitise women on the harmful effects of the diseases.

The campaigns, during which leaflets were distributed, began at the foundation’s GRA office in Ilorin, the state capital. They visited the Ero-Omo Primary Health Centre and the Egbejila Primary Health Centre, both in Ilorin West and Ilorin South local government areas.

Mrs. Ahmed, the founder of the NGO, advocated periodic breast and cervical screening for early detection and treatment of the diseases.

She urged women to use the facilities which the foundation had provided to ensure that they are free from the ailments, adding that breast and cervical cancers do not respect any one, irrespective of her class or status. She noted that all sexually active women are susceptible to the diseases.

Mrs. Ahmed allayed any fear of financial constraints in accessing the facility, saying the centres in their respective areas would charge a token of N200 which, she said is the fee for speculum, an apparatus with which the screening is conducted. She added that the speculum could only be used on one person.

She said: “I advise women to make maximum use of the opportunity. We are just starting. We hope to have screening centres in all nook and cranny of the state.

“I encourage all our women that have been screened to go out there and talk to others about the 16 centres we have already established. With concerted effort, we can reduce, if not bring to an end, the scourge in our midst.

“I received the vision about this programme after I had a personal experience. The response of our people to the foundation has been very encouraging. In February, we began the massive sensitisation of our people about the danger of these two diseases.

“I am optimistic that if we educate our people they will comply. Ever since the sensitisation programme started, the response has been overwhelming. That time, we went to about nine local government areas across the state. After our sensitisation campaign at Baruten Local Government Area, the following day, women from that area came for either breast or cervical cancer examination.”

Mrs. Ahmed said her advocacy drive was borne out of the alarming rate at which breast and cervical cancers affect women, a situation she attributed to lack of adequate awareness and lack of periodic screening.

The NGO has opened 13 more centres. They are General Hospital Lafiagi, Cottage Hospital Tsaragi, General Hospital Share, Comprehensive Health Centre Shao, Cottage Hospital, Ajikobi, Maternity Dispensary, Oke ogun, Comprehensive Health Centre Ekan meje, Cottage Hospital, Iloffa, Primary Health Centre, Babanla, Basic Health Centre, Oke Oyi, Comprehensive Health Centre, Okelele, Okesuna Ward Clinic, Okesuna and General Hospital Okuta.

The impressive turn out of women in all the communities where the screening centres had been inaugurated encouraged Mrs. Ahmed to include 10 additional centres to the initial 15. This brings to 25 the number of cancer screening centres which are spread across the state.

In each of the communities visited for the inauguration of the centres, the mobile clinic team of the foundation was on hand to give free drugs, perform eye tests, check blood pressure and on-the-spot treatments of minor diseases while complex cases were referred to general hospitals for proper handling.