Catholic Hospital, Battor Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre.

Monday, May 3, 2021: We started training 12 health workers from across Ghana in Module 2. All of them have completed Module 1 of our training programme (which equips trainees to screen for cervical precancer). Module 2 equips trainees with skills to treat precancerous lesions of the cervix with ablation (cryotherapy and thermal coagulation).

The vision of the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Training Centre (CCPTC) in Catholic Hospital, Battor is to train health workers to offer cervical cancer prevention services in all 260 districts in Ghana over 5 years. The centres will be grouped into 3:

1. Level 1: Screening is done to detect precancerous lesions of the cervix. Treatment is not done here. Screen positives are either referred to a Level 2/3 centre or a team is invited to the centre to treat them.
2. Level 2: Offers screening to detect precancerous lesions of the cervix. Also offers treatment by ablation (thermal coagulation or cryotherapy). Screen positives who do not qualify for ablative treatment are referred to Level 3.
3. Level 3: Offers screening to detect precancerous lesions of the cervix. Also offers treatment by ablation (thermal coagulation or cryotherapy) as well as Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP).

All the trainees will have thermal coagulaters to treat cervical precancer after the training programme. The institutions of two of them bought the thermal coagulators themselves. The other 10 are getting the thermal coagulators through a sponsorship programme. So 12 centres across Ghana will move to ‘Level 2’ after the two weeks programme and offer screening as well as treatment of precancerous lesions of the cervix with ablation.

Our trainees are:

1. Ms. Gifty Damsongor, Upper East Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga.
2. Ms. Eugenia Mensah, War Memorial Hospital, Navrogo, Upper East Region.
3. Ms. Edna Kueliho, St. Joseph Hospital, Nkwanta, Oti Region.
4. Ms Praise Eho, Worawora Government Hospital, Worawora, Oti Region.
5. Ms. Abigail Tutu, Presbyterian Hospital, Agogo, Ashanti Region.
6. Ms. Kate Etuaworsi Dzantor, Akpokope CHPS, Agotime Ziope District, Volta Region.
7. Ms. Cynthia Badasu, Juapong Health Centre, Juapong. Volta Region.
8. Ms. Evelyn Amoako, St. Dominic Hospital, Akwatia, Eastern Region.
9. Ms. Nancy Quansah, Holy Child Catholic Hospital, Sekondi-Takoradi, Western Region.
10. Ms. Juliet Nyamekye, Our Lady of Grace Hospital, Breman Asikuma, Central Region.
11. Ms. Gloria Sarkodie Addo, Shai Osudoku District Hospital, Dodowa, Greater Accra Region.
12. Dr. Boateng Duah, Private Practitioner, Takoradi, Western Region.