The official opening ceremony of the fifth (5th) annual Scientific Conference of the College of Health Sciences of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) was held on November 14 at the auditorium of the New Central Classroom Block (CCB). The theme of the two-day conference was “Trends in Cancer Research and Management.”
The conference was attended by experts in the medical field to deliberate on trends in Cancer Research and its management. The opening ceremony was chaired by Prof. S.I.K. Ampadu, the Provost of the College of Engineering, who stood in for the Vice Chancellor of KNUST, Prof. William Otoo Ellis.
The Chairman in his acceptance remarks said he was delighted to be part of the conference which was organised annually to provide a forum where scientists within and outside the college discussed their research. It also provided the means for young members of the college to learn from the experienced members and to provide a platform for members of the College to establish a network of collaborative research among themselves and with others outside the College. He was hopeful that the ordinary Ghanaian would benefit from the outcome of such annual conferences.
He noted that cancer was one of the disease conditions that had plagued humanity for a long time with serious issues about diagnosis, treatment and management. He added that figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that7.6 million people died of cancer in the year 2005 of which 70% occurred in low and middle income countries such as Ghana. He went on to explain that it was estimated that over 40% of all cancers, especially breast and cervical cancers, were preventable. He was hopeful that the conference would help chart a new path for the research and the management of cancers.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Sir G W Brobby Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the conference in his welcome speech said the conference was a ‘favourable occasion of historical significance shrouded in a cloak of classical simplicity’ despite the initial difficulties they had in receiving abstracts but they still managed to attract distinguished colleagues in their various disciplines.
He believed that health delivery in our modern technological world required concerted efforts by all stakeholders in order to achieve any success in ‘Health for All by the year 2020’. It was his view that Pharmacy, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Laboratory Technology should team up to produce men and women of quality ready to share, dialogue and synthesize ideas about the health delivery system and to give their best to the people they serve. He said team work was a condition for any successful enterprise particularly in the area of patient care at the hospitals. He urged students in the various disciplines to learn how to write and present papers if they were interested in working later in the University.
Addressing the participants, the representative of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Douglas N. K. Awuful thanked KNUST College of Health Sciences for instituting the annual conference to provide a platform for deliberating on key issues affecting the health of the people and the development of the country in general. He added that the theme for the conference was timely and appropriate considering the current situation and the impact of cancer on the socio-economic development of the country. Cancer, according to Mr Awuful, was the fourth biggest cause of death among Ghanaians and therefore, it constituted a major public health issue in Ghana. He said statistics from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in 2012 indicated that breast cancer cases stood at 28%, cervical cancer was 17.8%, prostate cancer was 7.7% and colorectal and uterus cancer were 5.1% and 3.1% respectively.
He further noted that some of the problems associated with the management of cancer in our population were lack of knowledge, late detection and diagnosis, delay in treatment procedures, negative socio-cultural beliefs and lack of funds. Negative influences emanating from foreign life styles together with other social vices also contributed to the upsurge in cancer cases among our population. He was quick to add that there was the urgent need to support the anti-cancer cause due to the increasing and alarming number of cancer cases, especially that of breast cancer, in the country.
He believed that the wealth and prosperity of the nation largely depended on the health of the people and said Government in recognition of this fact spent a large proportion of the national budget on infrastructural projects and activities relating to the health sector.
