The lives of 13 children born with heart defects have been saved through a collaborative corrective heart operation at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
The surgical procedures were done within one week by a combined team of renowned heart surgeons from the Boston Childrens’ Hospital in the United States of America (USA) and KATH, with Dr. Isaac Okyere, the sole Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the facility, performing seven out the number.
Briefing the media at the end of the surgery sessions, Okyere, said the feat, the first of its kind at the Ghana’s second largest referral facility, indicated KATH’s readiness to perform such procedures throughout the year with the setting up of a Cardiothoracic Centre in the offing.
The Boston Hospital Children’s’ Cardiac Mission, a 30 member team, who did the other six, has since 2007 been visiting the hospital once a year to conduct free heart surgeries for children more than 16 -18 children to correct their congenital heart abnormalities.
Dr Okyere said so far 100 children have benefitted but added that the Hospital is reaching another level in the eight-year collaboration in which the Mission is supporting KATH with the needed resources-equipment, capacity building and other logistics for the establishment of a Cardio Centre.
Dr. Francis Fynn Thompson, a Ghanaian-American Cardiac Surgeon, leader of the team said he had been impressed about the fantastic co-operation and assistance provided by the KATH team and added that the Mission would continue with its support and yearly visits.
Dr Samuel Blay Mguah, the sole Paediatric Cardiologist at KATH, thanked the team made up of Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists and other volunteers for the fruitful collaboration and was upbeat that the establishment of the Centre will be of invaluable help to such children and their parents.
Dr John Adabie, also the only Paediatric Intensivist-providing intensive care for children in very critical conditions, expressed thanks to the entire team, especially the nurses for doing a fantastic work and said KATH had a very good intensive care unit to support such surgeries said he looked forward to the setting up of the centre.
Dr Baffour Awuah, Medical Director of the Hospital speaking on behalf of management, called for the support of Civil Society Organisations and Corporate bodies to help make establishment of the centre a reality.
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