KBTH Receives New Urological Equipment

Mr Kofi Esson presenting the equipment to Rev Martey Botchway (fourth left) as Dr James Edward Mensah, Head of the Urological Unit and other health personnel and dignitaries look on

The Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has received a donation of £94,000 worth of equipment to improve urological services in Ghana.

The three complete sets of equipment provided by Kofi Esson of Tullow oil was to help the Ghana Association of Urological Surgeons (GAUS) establish an urological training centre in Ghana in order to enrich the quality of patients care.

The equipment, which include both a ballistic and a laser lithotriptor, would be used to train surgeons at 37 Military Hospital and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in transurethral resection of the prostate using normal saline, ureteroscopy and fragmentation of ureteric stones and flexible uretero-nephroscopy and fragmentation of renal stones.

Other equipment such as catheters, was provided; KBTH reported up to 500 men per day changing catheters regularly at the hospital, making this donation particularly pertinent.

Mr Esson, presenting the equipment to the hospital management announced that such donations are greatly appreciated, because the equipment necessary for urological procedures is often expensive.

He explained that the equipment is used to aid in healing ailments such as enlarged prostates, often a result of age or genetic inheritance, and urine stones, also caused by genes and aggravated by a poor diet.

Mr Esson also noted that the equipment would allow the procedures to take less time, cause less pain for the patient, and is much less invasive, so the patient would be discharged from the hospital in a shorter time period after the surgery.

The equipment is crucial, he explained, because it would allow the hospitals to improve patient care and develop local expertise of nurses and doctors. He went on to state that the donation would aid in the 'retention of foreign exchange and medical tourism.'

Acting Chief Executive Officer of KBTH, Rev Martey Botchway, accepting the donation on behalf of the hospital commended the company for their support.

He said such presentations acted as motivation to health practitioners to provide quality health care services to the public and therefore encouraged other corporate organisations to do same.

By Stephanie F. Miles