Save Africa Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation in organising medical outreaches, has carried out surgery for over 70 patients whose lives have been threatened by goiter, hernia, and fibroids.
The Foundation, which is one of the early groups of medical mission in Ghana since 2001, concurrently had a clinic session for over 250 patients with health conditions like malaria, allergies, flu, and joint pains amongst others.
The team of 16 medical practitioners made up of surgeons, gynaecologists, nurses, and midwife amongst others from the US and Ghana undertook the free medical screening and surgery for the patients at the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Akuapem Mampong.
The six-day programme also saw some emergencies sections on ectopic pregnancies that were attended to.
Dr Christopher Bratton, Head Surgeon of Save Africa Foundation, said the thyroid (goiter) disease had become chronic, making wallowing problematic whereas some of the hernias operated upon were in the advance and emergency stage.
“The biggest problem with the fibroid is where the females have irregular menstrual bleeding causing them to be anaemic and to have restrictions in normal activities. In removing a thyroid, every patient needs thyroid medication. It’s a life long requirement and I would like to put calcium on them because of some trauma. They need a lab to check the thyroid functions and calcium levels,” he said.
Dr Bratton in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said those who had hernia surgery need to avoid lifting, adding that there were severe physical conditions in lifting and patients needed to be restricted in strenuous activities.
He said: “Anybody that has a hernia needs to fix the problem quickly; you don’t have to wait till it becomes larger because it’s more difficult to operate on.”
Dr Samuel O. Bada, President & Founder of Save Africa Foundation, said the Foundation discovered that a lot of Ghanaians needed some surgical procedures like thyroidectomies (removal of goiters), myomectomy (removal of fibroid), hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and hernia.
“Many patients go and wait in queues at health facilities for months and years and they will not be able to have a thyroidectomy done. And more importantly they cannot afford it. One of our patients told us that it costs between Gh¢20, 000 and Ghc40, 000 to have a thyroidectomy done,” he said.
With the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital hosting the outreach for the third time, the Ghanaian born Tennessee Doctor, said they had carried out similar programmes in Kejebi, Hohoe, Peki, General Hospital, and VRA hospital at Akosombo over the years.
Madam Rosemond Kyere, a patient and beneficiary whose over 10 years hernia had been removed, told the Ghana News Agency she came from Anum Bosso for the surgery after hearing of the benevolent initiative of the Save Africa Foundation.
“I used to have severe stomach pain and people thought I was pregnant because my stomach had become bigger. I never visited the hospital because my grandma said I needed to endure. By the Grace of God my hernia had been taken off. I feared during the surgery, but it was done expertly well that I didn’t hear any pain and even thereafter. Anyone with such conditions or other conditions should seek medical care,” she added.
Young Michael Owusu whose life almost came to a halt in the last few years due to groin pain and scrotal swelling, expressed delight over a new dawn in his life, adding that “people with such conditions should get in touch with Save Africa Foundation.”