By: Evans Attah Akangla | ignewss.com | Ho
The Ho Central market members has donated a sum of Ghc2,000. 00 to support the establishment of the Cardiothoracic Center at the Ho Teaching Hospital.
The project which was started in June 2019 has a targeted amount of $3.2m and expected to become the second Cardiothoracic center in the country aside the Korle-Bu center on the campaign “Save a Heart, Save a Life”
The central market Queen with her members who numbered in Hundreds staged a walk from the market square through some principal streets of Ho to the facility to donate their quota to the facility.
The Ho Central Market Queen, Madam Rejoice Novixoxo said they have identified the importance of the cardiovascular centre.
“We the market women are prone to heart disease because we mostly sit at one place, that is why we want to contribute towards the project so we can one day benefit from it”, The Queen said.
She further urged personnel in the facility to continue the good work they are doing to the people of Ho and its environs.
She appealed to doctors to pay attention to women from the market and give them good treatment anytime they visit the facility.
The center after completion will serve as center for the diagnosis, management and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the facility and will also aid as a training center for students of the premier public university, UHAS, in the regional capital,
This will also cease the issue of frequent transfer of patients to Korle-Bu and will further lure others from the Oti and Eastern regions to seek medical attention for heart related issues.
Dr. Benney Owusu the Managing Director of the Ho Teaching Hospital Cardiothoracic Center, said the center has helped in reducing mortalities since most of the conditions can now be dealt with in the facility.
“Most of the conditions that would have had complications are no more. We can stabilize hypertension, we are able to stabilize hospital admissions in those who come with heart failure and all other conditions that would have increased the mortality rate in this part of the region”, he noted
He, however, listed the lack of space and machinery for further investigations and surgeries as limitations at the centre, hereby, compelling patients who may need such services to travel to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for healthcare.
He said the facility since has opened cardio clinic for patients to attend on Fridays but with the increasing number of attendees, management has set aside Tuesdays and Fridays for the Cardio Clinic.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ho Teaching Hospital Dr. John Tampuri appreciated the Ho Central Market for their prompt reactions to the “Save a heart, Save a life” Campaign and has promised the donation will be channelled to the appropriate course.
He said there are plans of establishing a donor fund to support patients who may not have the financial strength to pay their medical bills.
“We may have this machines but if someone is sick and does not have money to pay bills, it will be useless so we will still call for your support”. Dr. Tampuri
He also suggested that the the Central Market (Traders Association) should set plan of donating some specific amount of their own towards the donor fund to cover their members during times of need.
SOURCE: www.ignewss.com