Komfo Anokye Hospital offers free heart surgery
A team of surgeons and medical professionals from US-based charity, Cardiostart International, is undertaking free adult cardiothoracic surgery at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
This second mission of the group to Ghana is aimed to offering surgical intervention to less-endowed patients. Six open heart surgeries have been undertaken in the past seven days.
Leader of the Team, Dr. Uday Dandekar says the ultimate goal of Cardiostart is to transfer technology in heart surgery to local medical professionals. He notes “cardiac surgery is quite underserved in this part of the world… only 400 million people on planet get this service of cardiac surgery. There are plenty of patients who need surgical interventions and that have been our main motive to come down to Ghana”.
Chief Executive of KATH, Professor Ohene Agyei is confident the partnership would lead to the establishment of a Cadio centre in Kumasi. “We know that at least patients would have paid about 6,000 Euros for the operations, but if you’re able to come and pay something small, you have it done. We are also happy that they’re prepared to train our people so that we’ll be able to establish a centre here to supplement what already exists in Accra”, he said.
Meanwhile, Cardiostart International has donated medical equipment and consumables valued at 430 thousand dollars to the hospital.
by Kofi Adu Domfeh
I just have a question: Since I have recently been operated for a heart stroke with three bypass and one out blocking of a forth vessel I’m intrested to know how much an ordinary person have ot pay in Ghana to get an open heart surgery.
In most countries in Europe we get this for free – only a small fee have to pe paid by the patient but that is only less than 0,1 % of the cost of the operation itself which will cost $28,000 US dollars.
Please tell me since I have people I know in Ghana and blocked vessels are an increased problems all over the world.
Best regards,
Mr B. Sandgren
Norway