A facility to provide comprehensive health-care for cancer patients is
to be constructed at Katamanso, near Accra by a Swedish company. It is
known as the Swedish Ghana Medical Centre, SGMC, a private sector
led venture which will draw on the expertise of internationally respected
doctors and their local counterparts using state of the art equipment
to treat benign tumours and cancer patients. Performing the ground
breaking ceremony, President Kufuor said the establishment of the
centre should be a source of joy to all, because facilities for the
treatment of this deadly disease are inadequate.
That is why the survival rate has not been impressive as of now.
President Kufuor noted that the presence of many hospitals offering
state-of-the-art treatment in different diseases will enable many
people to access high quality health-care and also make Ghana a hub for
health-care delivery. He urged doctors in the country and other health
professionals to position themselves to take full advantage of the
emerging opportunities.
The President further asked the management of the Centre to create a
network through which doctors from Sweden and their Ghanaian
counterparts would help build the capacity of interested Ghanaian
doctors in such specialized fields. He told the centre not to allow
the profit motive to overshadow its noble mission of serving humanity.
President Kufuor commended the chiefs and people of Katamanso for
releasing land for the project.
A Radiologist at the University of Ghana Medical School, Dr.
Brakohiapa, observed that cancer which was considered a myth in Ghana
many years ago, still remains so for a lot more people than is
expected today. This is mainly due to cultural and spiritual beliefs
that it cannot be cured by Orthodox medicine. He said survival rates
have improved in advanced countries mainly owing to education,
targeting prevention, early detection as well as specialized
appropriate care.
Dr. Brakohiapa observed that even though there are two radiotherapy
centres available in Ghana, sometimes patients need to be referred
outside for more sophisticated treatments at enormous cost. Therefore
the Swedish Ghana Medical Centre will immensely attend to the
treatment of patients in the country.
The Managing Director of the Centre, Goran Hellers said efforts will be
made to start a foundation that will make it possible for people with
limited resources to get access to the needed care. The facility in
Ghana will be the second in Africa. The first is in Cairo .
