Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has blamed dearth of screening equipment and nonchalant attitude to early warning signals for the rising case of premature death among women in the country.
She bared her mind during a health check on breast and cervical cancer organized for the Forum of Women in Leadership and female members of the Forum of Spouses of Ekiti State Officials, in Ado-ekiti, on Saturday.
The event was a collaborative effort of the Ekiti Development Foundation, founded by the governor’s wife and the ministry of women affairs, social development and gender empowerment, as part of the 2013 International Women Day celebration.
A health consultant, Mrs. Ebunola Anozie, was on hand to give health talk during the session, while the governor’s wife later led others for screening for blood pressure, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other diseases common among women.
Erelu Bisi Fayemi noted that superstitious belief and patronage of quasi-medical practitioners and faith-based centres also ranked high among causes of sudden death among women.
Over the years, she said she observed that women, including educated ones, don’t go for screening and tests for diseases such as hypertension, cervical and breast cancer, diabetes and others rampant among women.
She said, “I was alarmed when in a large gathering of women I could barely find two persons that had gone for Pap smear (medical test conducted to detect cancer cells)when I asked them to signify by raising up their hands. We don’t go for regular check up.
“When you see someone complaining of constant ‘malaria’ for more than three months, then it could be a symptom of a debilitating disease that may lead to sudden death. It is common to find people blaming such deaths on some supernatural powers or enemies.
“You will hear those mourning the dead saying, ‘at last the evil people have caught up with this woman. She was hale and hearty yesterday when I saw her’ without knowing that accumulated early warning signals that were ignored might be responsible.”
Erelu Bisi Fayemi, therefore, advised women to go for screening for diseases rampant among women and to make periodic medical check-up in standard health centres a routine to live healthy and longer.
Apart from breast cancer, which could be detected through regular self breast examination, she urged women to be sensitive to changes in their body and to seek medical advice from orthodox practitioners immediately.
Last modified: March 10, 2013
