Ho Teaching Hospital
In an attempt to improve heart related treatment at the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH), the management in collaboration with ICS Africa, a communications firm based in Accra, has launched what it calls ‘Save a Heart, Save A Life’ project to build a cardiothoracic centre.
The project, which is estimated to cost about $3.2million when completed, will also serve as a training centre for students of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).
According to Professor Frank Edwin, the Head of the Cardiothoracic Centre at HTH and UHAS, they lack basic equipment for the full scale treatment of heart diseases at the hospital.
He said currently, the cases are treated at the outpatient department and mostly transferred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
That notwithstanding, Prof. Edwin said the facility has since last year till May 2021 attended to about 1,752 patients.
According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), one of the leading causes of deaths among adults is heart related diseases, notably hypertension and other complications.
Data shows that there is also the shortfall in providing adequate treatment for infants who are born with heart related diseases.
In Ghana, only about 20% of parents of children less than 15 years old requiring surgery were able to finance the operation within 12 months of diagnosis as of 2016.
Majority of patients may never find help and die from complications as the children become inoperable victims, according to the health authorities.
Prof. Edwin said about 8,000 children are born with congenital heart diseases annually in Ghana, yet very few get the needed treatment due to inadequate facilities.
These statistics and the rise in population vis-à-vis increase in heart related diseases overburdens the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, which is the leading referral facility in the country.
It is for this reason that Prof. Edwin stressed the need for the public particularly, faith-based organisations and philanthropists to assist in establishing the HTH Cardiothoracic Disease Centre which will be able to serve the Volta Region, Oti Region, Eastern Region and even neighbouring countries like Togo, Benin and Nigeria.
Dr. John Tampouri, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the HTH added that “the benefits of the projects are limitless.”
He said health education and research will improve as more specialists are trained and retained to impart knowledge in the country.
The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, pledged the government’s support towards the project.
He said they intend to ensure that the project will make the HTH and UHAS world-class institutions, improve tourism and attract both human capital and investment to the region.
From Fred Duodu, Ho