Dr. Kow Entsua-Mensah, Director of the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, has emphasised the need for collaboration and resource sharing among existing cardiothoracic centres in Ghana to improve service delivery and patient care.
Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Ghanaian Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons in Accra on Saturday, he stressed the scarcity of cardiothoracic surgeons in the country and the urgent need to increase the number of specialists across the regions to enhance healthcare delivery.
Dr. Entsua-Mensah called for capacity building and the expansion of existing facilities, as the newly formed society sought to engage in training and influence policy formulation at the national level, among other objectives.
“We (cardiothoracic surgeons) are only 14 in the country, and we think this is the time to scale up training and increase the workforce, not only for the national centre located in the southern belt, but also for the middle and northern belts, and ultimately for the entire country,” he said.
He noted that the society currently had an initial membership of 14 qualified surgeons, with six others in training, adding that it aims to increase the number of trainees and deploy them across the regions to support the existing workforce.
“Currently, we have five hospitals in Ghana with cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons providing services,” he said. “Everyone is doing their bit to champion the field and improve patient care and outcomes, but we realised that when we come together, we can achieve much more.”
Touching on the state of cardiothoracic surgery in the country, Dr. Entsua-Mensah said centres at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), 37 Military Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and Tamale Teaching Hospital should be expanded to ease the growing demand on the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle Bu.
He encouraged better-resourced centres in Accra to support less developed ones whilst government worked towards establishing regional cardiovascular and thoracic centres to prevent patients from travelling long distances for treatment.“One of the aims of this society is to bring our services closer to the people by ensuring that not only the centres in Accra are developed, but also centres in Kumasi and Tamale. From there, we can expand to other parts of the country,” he stated.
Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and pioneer of the Korle Bu Cardiothoracic Centre, recalled the history of the centre and urged young professionals to embrace technology and modern procedures to deliver quality care.
He called for increased investment in facilities and equipment and urged professionals to deepen their expertise, maintain strong work ethics, and support the society to achieve its objectives.
The inaugural meeting was held on the theme: “Capacity Building in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Through Partnership.”
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