President Akufo-Addo receiving the FOCOS Humanitarian Award from Dr Oheneba Boachie-Adjei
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has received the 2019 Foundation of Orthopaedics and Complex Spine (FOCOS) Humanitarian Award on behalf of the Government and people of Ghana.
The prestigious award was given to the President at the FOCOS Gala Ceremony held in New York City for the country’s “longstanding support for the Foundation of Orthopaedics and Complex Spine.”
Receiving the award on Monday, September 23, the President noted that orthopaedic health conditions are severe among low and middle-income countries, which are less resourced to provide adequate access to orthopaedic care.
In Ghana, it is estimated that orthopaedic injury results in an estimated 2,772 disability-adjusted life years per 100,000 people annually.
President Akufo-Addo at the awards ceremony
This, according to President Akufo-Addo, is the reason why the work being undertaken by FOCOS in Ghana and the rest of Africa is very important, and must be given the requisite support.
FOCOS is a non-profit US research organization that is dedicated to research and education in orthopaedics. The organisation provides comprehensive, affordable orthopaedic care to those who would not otherwise have access to such treatment. They treat cases that are deemed to be among some of the most severe in the world.
With Ghana having defined Universal Health Coverage to mean that “all people in Ghana will have timely access to high quality health services irrespective of ability to pay at the point of use”, the President noted that ensuring timely access to safe and quality orthopaedic care can prevent disability and minimize healthcare costs associated with delayed treatment.
“That is why government, to complement the work being done by the FOCOS Hospital in Accra, has established the Limb Fitting Centre (LFC), under the Ghana Health Service, to provide orthopaedic care for all Ghanaians,” he said.
Speaking on orthopaedic issues, the President said regional and district hospitals, under the Ghana Health Service, provide holistic orthopaedic care for all, adding that Ghana’s Teaching Hospitals are being equipped to provide highly specialized orthopaedic care for complicated trauma and injury cases.
President Akufo-Addo reiterated government’s commitment to provide infrastructure and the needed human resources for orthopaedic services, and to collaborate even more with institutions like FOCOS to enhance the country’s expertise.
Government, he stressed, would put in the necessary financial resources through the Ministry of Health to strengthen orthopaedic services in Ghana.
By Nana Kwasi