faith healers to desist from keeping people living with chronic medical
conditions in their prayer camps but quickly refer them to health facilities
for professional medical treatment.
She said denying
such people medical attention under the pretext of healing them spiritually was
not only cruel but a violation of their human rights.
Speaking at a breast
cancer forum at the Kumasi Technical University, the Minister advised the
perpetrators to concentrate on preaching the word of God as they allow medical
professionals to do their work.
The forum, held
under the theme: “The Role of Religion in Breast Cancer Control in Africa”, was
to sensitize participants on the prevention, causes and treatment of the
dreaded and fatal disease.
She said it was
unacceptable for any faith healer or prophet to attempt to heal a cancer
patient who required the urgent services of a specialist due to the dangerous
and debilitating nature of the disease.
Madam Agyemang
entreated cancer patients to seek professional help even if they would attend
church for prayers, adding “the church is no place for cancer treatment”.
Dr Beatrice Wiafe
Addai, President of Breast Care International (BCI), said breast cancer was
curable if detected early yet many people saw it as a death sentence.
She said instead of
seeking medical attention, many people resort to prayer camps and only showed
up in the hospitals too late when the disease was almost at the terminal stage.
Dr Addai implored
prophets to direct patients to hospitals and back them with prayers in order to
save their lives.
She said cancer was
a global disease but the rate at which people were dying in Ghana due to
ignorance was alarming and urged religious leaders to lead the fight against
the needless deaths.
GNA
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