Diaspora Urged to Support Otumfuo Cancer Project
The Founding Director of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Comprehensive Cancer Centre of Excellence (OOTII CCCoE), Dr. (Mrs.) Beatrice Wiafe Addai, has made a passionate appeal to the Ghanaian and African diaspora, foundations, corporations, and philanthropists to support the project.
She emphasized that contributions would be instrumental in transforming the centre from a vision into a fully functioning institution capable of providing cancer patients with timely access to quality care.
Dr. Wiafe Addai made the call during a fundraising dinner in Maryland, USA, held as part of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II’s recent official visit to the United States.
The event also served as a platform to outline the centre’s potential to become a long-term investment in Ghana’s healthcare system, with a focus on serving patients for generations to come. Located at Kwaso, near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, the centre is designed to be a comprehensive hub where specialists, including surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, and nurses, can collaborate seamlessly.
Research and training
Beyond clinical care, it will support cancer research and the training of health professionals, thereby strengthening the overall healthcare workforce.
The vision has received the full blessing of the Asantehene, with organisers describing it as a legacy initiative aimed at transforming cancer care not only in Ghana but across the wider African region.
Donor categories
At the Maryland fundraising dinner, Dr. Wiafe Addai detailed the various donor categories established to facilitate contributions.
These range from community-level donations of up to US2 million and above. She stressed that the ultimate goal is not merely to construct another hospital, but to create an institution that will fundamentally change the experience of cancer patients and their families.
She expressed confidence that, with collective support, Ghana can establish a cancer centre that meets international standards and significantly reduces the number of lives lost to preventable or treatable cancer-related complications.
Figures
Highlighting the urgency of the project, Dr. Wiafe Addai cited grim statistics: in 2022, Ghana recorded 27,385 new cancer cases and 17,944 cancer-related deaths.
These figures, she noted, underscore the growing burden of the disease and the critical need to expand access to comprehensive cancer care in the country.
