The Korle-Bu Cardiothoracic Centre will this year establish an eight storey Cardio Centre at the University of Ghana to complement its work.
The expansion has become necessary because the 30-bed centre at Korle-Bu can no longer cater for the influx of people who seek medical care at the centre. Dr Baffoe Gyan, a Senior Specialist at the Centre, disclosed this to the Times yesterday and said last year the centre attended to 13,779 people.
He said out of the number, 5,598 were diagnosed with various heart ailments. Dr Gyan said a total of 676 patients were operated on adding that many had paid for surgery this year and had been placed on the waiting list which stretched up to July.
He said the situation was aggravated by the fact that, the centre had only two threats �therefore patients have to queue for the surgery.� Dr Gyan said those treatment required emergency were usually brought up the queue and attended to in order not to risk their lives.
On the cost of the operations, he said, while the employers of some of the patients paid the bills in any individual situation, the centre paid a minimum of 5,000 Euros from the Heart Foundation adding that individual cost of operations varied from one medical condition to another.
He said as a result of the demand of the job, the seven surgeons, four cardiologists, and another specialist who handle cases and emergencies at the centre had to work throughout that year with many forgoing their annual leaves.
Dr Gyan said currently, a Ghanaian and three Nigerians were undergoing training at the centre to become heart surgeons.
He said as part of the centre�s expansion programme, two doctors were currently aboard training as specialist in paediatric heart surgery and Video Assisted Thorocotomy (VAT). Dr Gyan said since the return of a VAT Specialist from Germany, the centre had been performing pin-hole heart surgery through the chest without cutting open the chest.
He said the other doctor was presently in South Africa specializing in paediatric heart surgery since the children�s cases are on the increase.
Dr Gyan cautioned parents to be circumspect on how they treat children suffering from sore throats �since improper treatment can lead to heart disease in the future.�
He mentioned risk factors associated as obesity, lack of control of one�s blood pressure, diabetes and ageing saying, �people must be made aware of these factors to reduce the risk.�
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