UHAS Midwifery Department Champions Campus and Community Action Against Breast Cancer

The Department of Midwifery at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) has successfully concluded its maiden Breast Cancer Awareness Month celebration, leading a month-long initiative that championed education, screening and advocacy in the fight against breast cancer.
Throughout October 2025, the Department organised activities under the theme “Stronger Together: Uniting Efforts for Prevention and Support”, presenting a series of events that educated, engaged and empowered both the university community and the general public.

The activities commenced with a colourful launch on Friday, 10th October, 2025, at the Administration Block of the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM), University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) Main Campus, Sokode-Lokoe, Ho, in the Volta Region of Ghana.
The Dean of SONAM, Professor Peter Adatara, launched the campaign with a call for participants to take breast health seriously, recalling the recent loss of a Level 200 student to breast cancer. He praised the Department for transforming grief into purposeful action, saying, “As nurses and midwives in training, we carry a sacred responsibility to save lives through knowledge, compassion, and vigilance.”
The Head of Department, Dr. Anthony Kuug, emphasised in his address that awareness remains the strongest defence against breast cancer. He urged consistent self-examination and regular screening, noting that early detection and prompt treatment can make all the difference between life and loss.

Ms. Irene Torshie Attachie, a Midwife Specialist and Lecturer in the Department of Midwifery, spoke passionately about the psychological aspect of care. “Breast cancer does not only affect the body; it affects the mind and identity of a woman,” she said. “As midwives, we must provide not only clinical support but also emotional care, helping women rebuild confidence and hope.”
Two midwives and UHAS sandwich students, Ms. Agatha Dogbeda Awittor and Ms. Eunice Amedor, shared heartfelt testimonies from their encounters with breast cancer. Ms. Awittor recounted supporting a close relative through treatment and urged others to “see screening not as a sign of fear but as an act of courage.” Ms. Amedor, who lost a patient to late-stage diagnosis, added, “We must learn to talk about breast cancer early, not when it is too late. Silence kills, but awareness saves.”

Following the launch, the Department conducted a series of screening and outreach activities, beginning at Kodjobi in the Adaklu District on Sunday, 19th October, and continuing at the UHAS Main Campus, Sokode-Lokoe, from 20th to 22nd October. Faculty, staff and students collaborated to provide free breast examinations, education on self-checks and referrals to the Ho Teaching Hospital (Trafalgar).

The month’s activities culminated in a panel discussion broadcast live on Youtube via UHAS TV’s channel on Friday, 24th October. Ms. Ellen Mensah-Bonsu, a Lecturer in the Department of Midwifery, moderated the session, which explored myths, misconceptions and professional roles in early detection.
Panel member Ms. Dinah Brenda Boateng Adu, an Assistant Lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, urged midwives to become “agents of change in their communities by transforming clinical knowledge into community action.” Her colleague, Ms. Portia Ahiaku Peka, a Midwife Specialist and MPhil Student at UHAS, added, “Every conversation about breast health is a potential life saved. We must keep that conversation going in our homes, schools and workplaces.”

Concluding the discussion, Ms. Mensah-Bonsu reminded viewers, “Breast cancer awareness is not an event; it is a responsibility. Let us all carry it forward with the same compassion and excellence that define UHAS.”
The Department of Midwifery has announced plans to institutionalise the campaign as an annual event to promote preventive health and strengthen community outreach.
By fostering health awareness and service to society, the initiative aligns closely with the mission of UHAS to provide quality education, advance research and deliver compassionate health care, as well as with SONAM’s vision to train highly skilled nurses and midwives who embody professionalism, empathy and social responsibility.
“Breast cancer is not a death sentence,” Dr. Kuug reiterated. “When we unite knowledge, compassion and action, we save lives — and that is the true spirit of UHAS.”