UT Bank holds pink ball to raise breast cancer awareness funds
UT Bank has held its annual Pink Ball to round off its funds raising and breast cancer campaign for 2011. The campaign is aimed at creating awareness about the diseases among men and women.
Statistics have shown that out of every 8 women, one is diagnosed of breast cancer while one dies every three minute of the disease- and nearly 2,000 men are diagnosed each year as well.
In Ghana, studies have shown that fifty per cent of citizens report to hospitals at advanced stages of the disease and on the average report eight months or more after first noticing a change in their breasts.
To create more awareness and to minimize the impact of the disease on society, the month of October has been dedicated to awareness creation. This year’s awareness observance was on the theme: “Connect, Communicate, Conquer and Prevent Breast Cancer, One Woman at a Time. The Pink Ribbon Wear it. Share it.”
UT Bank, in partnership with Citi FM, launched the awareness to raise GH¢ 100,000 to help provide cure at an early stage of the disease and to buy Mobile Pre-Screening Unit facilities for early detection and the treatment of the disease.
Mrs. Zara Neequaye, Co-ordinator of the programme at UT Bank, said the company hoped “to raise GHc100,000 to provide cure for early stage of cancer for at least 200 persons in the year 2011. It is anticipated that early stages of diagnosis can be cured with as little as GHc500.”
Pearl Esua-Mensah, Executive Director Finance, UT Bank, said the aim was to reduce the spread of breast cancer to an appreciable level, adding that UT Bank’s motivation was to help save lives.
She noted that the mobile unit would provide easy access to disadvantaged women and men nationwide, to increase the chance of detecting the disease at the early stages and its successful treatment.
The campaign for the month saw the bank’s staff organized a health walk through some principal streets of Accra to distribute information leaflets on breast cancer to raise awareness.
Aside the health walk, the bank also held screening exercises at various market centres including Makola, Kaneshie, Madina, Agbogbloshie, Mallam, Koforidua, Takoradi, Tarkwa, Kumasi and Tamale, where stands were mounted to enable market women and men to examine their breasts.
Last year, UT Bank, in collaboration with the Cancer Society of Ghana, raised over GH¢ 30,000.00 through a series of events, including the 'Pink Ball' event to champion its cause in the fight against breast cancer in the country. Eighteen people, according to company officials, have so far received assistance for various levels of cancer treatment.
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