20 CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM FREE HEART SURGERY (PAGE 23, OCT 27, 2010)

Authorities of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital in Boston, United States of America, have successfully conducted paediatric heart surgery on 20 children with congenial heart diseases.
The surgeries, performed free of charge by the two institutions, is the fourth since 2007.
Over 60 children with various forms of heart diseases were screened by the paediatric surgeons after which 20 were selected for the surgery .
The beneficiary children were selected across the country, and they had all been discharged from the hospital.
The free operation, which lasted for 10 days, is the fourth paediatric cardiothoracic mission conducted by the heart specialists from Children’s Hospital in Boston.
Each of the beneficiary children would have paid GH¢12,000 for the heart surgery.
About 65 children have so far benefited from the gesture since the two institutions started their collaborative programme three years ago.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the leader of the Boston team, Dr Francis Fynn-Thompson, who is a Paediatric Heart Surgeon, said the two institutions have agreed on a road map to establish a paediatric heart centre at the KATH within a five-year period.
He said it was based on such mission that they had donated heart-lung machine and their accessories towards the establishment of the centre.
He pointed out that the team from Boston was also assisting in the training of medical staff from the KATH as a way of building their capacity for them to acquire the needed skills.
This, he said, would enable the medical staff perform paediatric heart surgeries for children suffering from various forms of heart problems in the country and the West African sub-Region.
As part of the measure to sustain the exercise, the two institutions had agreed to establish a Paediatric Heart Foundation to mobilise adequate resources in and outside the country to support children with heart problems.
With such a foundation, the training programme to build the capacity of medical officers at the KATH will also run smoothly.
The Chief Executive of the KATH, Professor Ohene Adjei, commended the team for their gesture and said all efforts would be made to sustain the programme.
The parents of the beneficiary children also expressed their gratitude for the management of the KATH and the Boston Children’s Hospital specialists for their assistance .