Doctor to Ghanaians: Avoid multiple sexual partners, unprotected sex
Hectoria Awekeya of the Eastern Regional Hospital wants the youth to stay away from early sex or protect themselves during the act
Hectoria Awekeya, a medical officer at the Eastern Regional Hospital, has said that having multiple sexual partners increases the risk of cervical cancer.
“The youth think everything is about sex so they are having multiple sexual partners and increasing their risk. We want to advise them to protect themselves when having sex or better still stay away from early sex,” she told Asaase News’s Eastern regional correspondent John Attafuah.
Awekeya expressed worry over the increasing rate of cervical cancer cases attributing it to the multiple sexual partners of the youth – a situation she noted is dangerous for the country’s wellbeing.
“Personally, I think many of us are getting sexually active because everything is being sexualised, even drinks. The sexualisation of the Ghanaian system has led to the increase in sexually infectious diseases such as cervical cancer,” she added.
Awekeya advised women who are already sexually active to periodically visit the hospital to get screened for cervical cancer.
‘”If you got screened last year whatever advice was given to you just follow it. If you have been diagnosed too try to stick with your health provider for the treatment to be effective,” she added.
She said her outfit has over the years been embarking on educational campaigns to help sensitise Ghanaians to seek early medical intervention for cervical cancer.
“We are creating a lot of awareness this month and talking about cervical cancer. We are all over the place: we are in hospitals, radio stations discussing the causes and the risk factors of cervical cancer and the way to prevent it.”
Awekeya stated that the best way to detect cervical cancer early is to have regular screening tests, adding that early detection improves the chances of successful treatment.
John Attafuah and Winifred Lartey
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