Seventeen women in Bawku and Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region have received free life-transforming surgical procedures from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ghana (SOGOG) as the organisation embarks on a three-day outreach programme in the north.
The free life-transforming surgeries undertaken at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital and the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital were provided to patients in need, with support from Ernest Chemists Limited.
The team performed 14 of the surgeries in Bawku Presbyterian Hospital, while three were done at Bolgatanga, and the surgeries included removal of the womb due to ovarian cancers and cancers of the womb, removal of the womb due to fibroids, and removal of fibroids and repair of the womb for the women with fertility wishes.
President of SOGOG, Dr. Ali Samba, said one of the patients had her private stuck closed, with prolonged accumulation of menses in the womb, thereby making her appear like a seven-month pregnant woman.
He explained that this caused her to suffer constant abdominal pains, adding that the other women had pelvic organ prolapse (the womb coming out of the vagina) before the surgeries were performed to restore the wombs to their normal position.
According to him, there was another category of patients who were suffering from “leaking urine from obstetric fistula, and they also had their fistulas repaired by the team.”
Dr. Samba expressed gratitude to Ernest Chemists Limited for providing medication and cash to support the Society’s initiative, noting, “it should be possible in the future to support multiple health facilities in one region simultaneously, if we have more financial support.”
He again commended the management team of the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital, led by Dr. Bernard Kwaku Okai, for hosting the SOGOG outreach and ensuring a seamless flow of work.
The SOGOG General Secretary, Dr. Promise Sefogah, who coordinated the outreach programme, indicated that thousands of women and children nationwide are in dire need of specialist medical and surgical care, but they are lacking access to the care.
He was hopeful that other well-meaning organisations would emulate the initiative of SOGOG-Ernest Chemists to help improve the health and well-being of the vulnerable population in deprived areas.
By Ernest Kofi Adu