The combination of an identified need and the amazing work of Dr. Kofi Effah and his team at the Catholic Hospital, Battor’s Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Center (CCPTC), led to this Rotary project. We learned of Dr. Effah and the CCPTC from TogetherHER, a non-profit focused on cancer prevention and treatment. After verifying the extremely high quality of the work of the CCPTC, the Eau Claire and Accra East Rotary Clubs partnered to provide 50 thermal ablation devices to the Center located in the Republic of Ghana, a country with a population of 26 million, 16 regions, and 260 districts.
After we were approached by an Eau Claire Rotary Club member to consider a cervical cancer project in Ghana, we looked into the issue of cervical cancer and learned that globally in 2020 nearly 342,000 women died from cervical cancer caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), equating to about one woman dying every two minutes. Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among African women. While many cancers are difficult to address, cervical cancer is relatively easy to diagnose and treat if detected early. Vaccination against cervical cancer is not readily available in Ghana, and as it becomes available, it will take years to impact the country’s cancer rates. Therefore, screening and treatment in the early stages is vital and costs approximately $4-10 per patient. Despite the low cost, less than 5% of sub-Saharan African women have been screened. Of those screened, only a fraction can be treated because smaller health centers and rural areas do not have the equipment needed to deliver treatment. As a result, poor rural women, even if they are screened and diagnosed, are unlikely to receive treatment.To address this problem, the Eau Claire Rotary Club (District 6250) and the Accra East Rotary Club (District 9102) partnered on this project. The Eau Claire Club wrote the application and secured the majority of the funds. The Accra East Club secured the devices and arranged their delivery, will provide oversite, and will submit required grant reports. Together, the Clubs have worked to secure over 50 thermal ablation devices for the training center. Dr. Effah, head of the CCPTC, is a recognized expert in the field. Under his leadership, the CCPTC has developed a highly respected training, screening and treatment program. The CCPTC team trains health care providers to screen and treat women in low resourced settings using HPV DNA and/or visual inspection with acetic acid to identify cancerous lesions and, when equipment is available, to provide thermal ablation treatment. The Catholic Hospital, Battor, covers the cost of CCPTC staff salaries, training, and transportation to clinics and remote areas. However, although the CCPTC has trained over 170 health care workers in about 120 of the country’s 260 districts, only 12 of the districts with trained staff have the thermal ablation devices needed to provide treatment. Our grant will provide more than 50 devices allowing about a third of the districts with trained health care providers to have the necessary equipment.
As we submit this article, we are celebrating the delivery of the devices to Dr. Effa and his team and look forward to implementation of the remaining parts of the project with our Rotary partners in Ghana. Funding for the project includes funds from the Eau Claire, Accra East, Chippewa Falls, Tomah; Menomonie Sunrise, and Eau Claire Morning Rotary Clubs and from District and Rotary International matching funds. For additional information about the project or about doing a similar project contact Holly Hart at holly@hollyhart.org
(Left photo is the delivery of the Thermal Ablation Devices; Right photo is Dr. Effah (Source CCPTC)