Cervical Cancer Claims 2,500 Lives in 2024 — Deputy Health Minister Reveals
Late diagnoses blamed for high mortality as government expands HPV vaccination and screening efforts
- Ghana recorded 2,500 cervical cancer deaths out of 3,000 cases in 2024.
- Deputy Health Minister attributes the high mortality rate to late diagnosis and delayed treatment.
- Government expands free HPV vaccination and nationwide screening to curb future cases.
Ghana recorded an estimated 2,500 cervical cancer deaths in 2024 out of roughly 3,000 diagnosed cases, Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah has told Parliament.
Delivering the update on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah described the situation as “deeply alarming,” stressing that most patients seek medical attention only after the disease has advanced.
“Out of about 3,000 cases reported in 2024, we lost nearly 2,500 women. This is largely because many of them come in at a very late stage when treatment options are limited,” she explained.
The Deputy Minister expressed confidence that the government’s free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme—targeting children aged 9 to 14—will significantly reduce cervical cancer cases in the long term.
She added that the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service are stepping up nationwide public education, screening campaigns, and outreach programmes to encourage early detection.
Health specialists have repeatedly warned that cervical cancer remains a major cause of cancer deaths among Ghanaian women, despite being preventable through vaccination and regular screening.
The rollout of the free HPV vaccine marks a major milestone in protecting young girls and reducing the country’s cervical cancer burden as authorities work to reverse the troubling trend.
