From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
Cardio specialists from Cardiostart International in the United States of America (USA), in collaboration with their counterparts from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have successfully performed free open-heart surgery for eight people who were suffering from acute heart problems in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs.
The surgeries were performed at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the newly constructed Accident and Emergency Centre of the KATH.
The US team has also donated two containers full of medical supplies and equipment to the KATH to support the establishment of a cardiothoracic centre.
The use of the ICU for the open heart surgery was to effectively test the effectiveness or otherwise of the Accident Emergency Centre which was commissioned in November, last year, before it becomes fully operational in the course of the year.
Among the beneficiaries of the free open-heart surgery were Master Ohenenana Kofi Sarpong, a 13-year-old boy who attends Odumasi M.A. Basic School near Konongo and a 19-year-old girl, Christiana Kyeremah.
The others were Georgina Palm, 63, Afia Sarpong 71, Juliana Ampomah 41, Afia Adowa, 31, Rebecca Asirifi, 31, and Regina Boakye 57.
Two years ago, cardio specialists from the Boston Children Hospital in the USA in collaboration with their KATH counterparts, performed the first free open heart surgery for eight children at the KATH, and last year, 11 children also benefited from the gesture of Boston Children Hospital
All the 19 children, some of whom attend school in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs, are doing very well.
When newsmen visited some of the patients at the ICU last Wednesday, three of them, including Master Kofi Sarpong, who were still on admission, were responding effectively to treatment.
Speaking to newsmen later, the head of the 29-member medical team, Dr Marath Aubyn, said they were a charity organisation collaborating with the KATH to kick-start an adult cardiothoracic centre at the hospital to enable them correct heart defects for patients from the northern sector of the country.
He said they arrived in Kumasi almost two weeks ago and screened about 30 patients suffering from heart diseases, but performed surgery for eight people whose lives were in danger.
He said they selected Kumasi for the surgical operation because there was only one cardiothoracic centre located in Accra.
Dr Aubyn explained that establishing an adult surgical centre would go a long way to reduce the pressure at the cardiothoracic centre in Accra.
Commending the KATH authorities for their positive attitude towards Cardiostart “ when we expressed our intention to support cardio patients in Kumasi”, Dr Aubyn said they would be committed to the setting up of an adult cardio centre in Kumasi to ensure that the pressure at Korle Bu was drastically reduced”.
“Our objective is to do this for free, to enable the beneficiaries lead normal lives and contribute more meaningfully towards sustainable socio-economic development in the country, “ he explained.
Stressing, he said, “we are very happy to be part of the general intentions of the authorities of the KATH and their objectives to serve the poor of the community who suffer from heart problems”.
He pointed out that the eight patients who benefited from their expertise “had complex problems as you can see from the evidence of the three patients yet to be discharged, as well as the five who had already been discharged”.
He also commended the medical team from the KATH for their professionalism and commitment and gave the assurance that they would always make themselves available as soon as they were invited to the country.
That, he said, would ensure that the objective of establishing a cardiothoracic centre at the KATH would be fully realised to support the lives of patients from the northern sector of the country as well as those from the neighbouring countries.
The Chief Executive of KATH, Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, said the authorities of the hospital were committed to establishing the adult cardio centre within two years.
He said they had, therefore, set up a foundation to raise funds that would facilitate the establishment of the cardio centre.
He explained that KATH started a paediatric fund to cater for patients with heart problems and said efforts would be made to reinvigorate public contributions to the fund.
He explained that the fund-raising would be organised both in Ghana and abroad “ so that Ghanaians in the Diaspora would also contribute meaningfully and from this, I think we can sustain the project to enable the needy benefit from free, open heart surgery”.
He said already KATH had two open heart machines which were donated by the medical team from Boston Children Hospital and Cardiostart for use by the local medical team
Stressing , Dr Nsiah Asare said setting up the cardio centre was a priority because it would not only support the needy, but also attract patients from the neighbouring countries as a way of raising additional revenue to develop the KATH.
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