ACCRA, Nov 5 (The African Portal) – Ghana recorded about 2,500 deaths from cervical cancer in 2024 out of roughly 3,000 reported cases, the Deputy Minister of Health, Grace Ayensu-Danquah, told Parliament on Tuesday.
Ayensu-Danquah described the figures as alarming and attributed the high fatality rate to late diagnosis and delayed access to treatment.
“The mortality rate for cervical cancer was high. We had about 3,000 cases in 2024, but about 2,500 of them have died. This is because by the time we diagnose or find them out, it is too late, and there’s nothing we can do,” she said.
She said the government’s free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme for children aged 9 to 14, launched this year, is expected to help reduce future infections and deaths.
The Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, is also expanding public education and screening to promote early detection and prevention, she added.
Cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in Ghana, though health experts say it is largely preventable through vaccination and routine screening.
The government’s HPV vaccination campaign is part of broader efforts to curb the disease’s toll and strengthen women’s health services nationwide.
