The Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) with support from Roche Products Ghana Ltd, a global pharmaceutical Company and World Child Cancer (WCC) has opened an Oncology Center in TTH for cancer care services in the northern part of Ghana.
The establishment of the center would enable management of the hospital to centralize all oncology services and enhance quality health care delivery for cancer patients.
The Director of Pharmacy at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr Hamidu Abdulai, during an official ceremony to launch the center said all attempts and efforts in the past to obtain more space for oncology services did not materialize until his meeting with Roche representatives.
Dr Abdulai in his submission said that oncology medicines were prepared or reconstituted previously at the Drug Manufacturing Unit, a place he noted, is relatively far from the point of drug administration and a practice not desirable as oncology products are toxic.
“Roche Products Ghana limited and World Child Cancer, have renovated the entire building, furnished the paediatric and adult chemotherapy suites, and equipped both suites with standard recliners, beds, top notch infusion pumps, refrigerators amongst others”, he added.
Dr Abdulai added the unit can now boast of a dedicated cytotoxic reconstitution room for preparation of chemotherapeutic agents in a modern cytotoxic safety cabinet under aseptic conditions close to the chemotherapy suites where these medicines are administered.
“We now have the opportunity to prepare, transport and administer oncology medicines within the same facility under desirable conditions, maximizing therapeutic outcomes and safety whilst minimizing risk for staff, patients and the environment” he emphasized and further commended Roche Products Ghana and the WCC for the intervention.
Notwithstanding this, the Director of Pharmacy disclosed some very key staff including pharmacists, nurses and doctors have been sponsored by both World Child Care and Roche Ghana for capacity building at various levels including membership/followership to specialize and subspecialize in various areas in the oncology practice, stating more slots have granted for the training of the health staff at the hospital.
The TTH has also received some essential medicines from the World Child Care to support paediatric cancer management at no cost for patients.
“Also, with the support and collaboration with National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the Ministry of Health, Herceptin provided by Roche has been accredited by the NHIA for the management of breast cancer at a cost which the average Ghanaian will not be able to afford without problems and not only is Herceptin on NHIS but TTH has the leverage to pay Roche only after NHIA has reimbursed TTH for any Herceptin used. What a blessing to our clients! Dr Hamidu affirmed.
Dr Abdulai used the opportunity to express his sincere gratitude to the TTH Board Chairman, Mr. Mahmoud Nassir-Deen for his commitment to the progress of the hospital.
The Country Manager for Roche Ghana, Dr Anderson in a media interview said the organization mostly provides diagnostic solutions to help detect and monitor cancers as well as also providing and producing innovative medicines for cancer care earning the company a global recognition for cancer care for many years now.
He noted the company would always collaborate with relevant stakeholders to impact on the healthcare systems of the countries they operate particularly in the area of children living with cancer and thereby welcoming the recent announcement by the government of Ghana to include childhood cancers into the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Access to Cancer Center
Dr Anderson observed the excruciating burden families of cancer victims have to endure coupled to the cost involved especially in areas where oncology services are unavailable.
“We’re to ensure that what becomes of a patient diagnosed with cancer is not defined by where they live. Imagine the closest cancer center from where we stand is approximately 600kilometers, traveling down south to Kumasi or Accra; if the family member is diagnosed with cancer, the burden on the family is enormous enough and adding the cost of having to travel – the cost of living outside home. It’s difficult!” he cried out.
The Project Manager of World Child Cancer, Ms. Anne-Marie Affainie-Godwyll said in her speech the WCC has supported TTH in early diagnosis and detection and management of Childhood cancers for some time now as their vision is to see that every child has access to cancer care regardless of their families and financial background. WCC also partners with health care institutions to establish centers including TTH Oncology Center where cancer related issues can be handled by professionals.
Ms. Anne-Marie Affainie-Godwyll also disclosed that WCC provides support for training of Healthcare Professionals to enable them provide health care needs to children suffering from cancers.
The Mayor of Tamale, Honorable Sule Salifu who represented the Northern Regional Minister, Honorable Alhassan Saani Shaibu appealed to the Management of TTH to institute good client relationship systems within the facility to ensure patients have first-class service delivery at the hospital.
He added that management should adopt a good maintenance culture to sustain services at the oncology Center.
Message from First Lady
The First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, in a speech presented by Dr Mokowa Blay Adu-Gyamfi on her behalf as the Special Guest of Honour for the occasion, said, she has taken a keen interest in the wellbeing of Ghanaian families.
She noted equitable access to healthcare, education; economic opportunities and many others must be of priority for us all if we’re to build a country we would all be proud of.
However, Madam Rebecca indicated access to quality healthcare for women and children has been her foremost priority and indeed, highlighting most of the big projects carried out by the Rebecca Foundation were executed to improve the health of the Ghanaian women and children.
The First Lady said the inclusion of the four childhood cancers and family planning onto the National Health Insurance Scheme is a milestone achievement for the nation and a demonstration that the needs of the people are prioritized in the area of healthcare particularly with disease conditions such as cancer and the family planning intervention.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Mr. Mahmoud H. Nassir-Deen for his part thanked the Government of Ghana, Roche Products Ghana Ltd, World Child Cancer and others who have over the years supported the hospital to achieve its vision.
Notwithstanding this, Mr Mahmoud Nassir-Deen said there are still some pressing infrastructural needs required for the facility to be a one-stop-tertiary healthcare institution in the northern part of the country.
He revealed the hospital presently serves a population of approximately 4.2 million spread across the Northern, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, North East Regions, the Bono East and Oti Regions as well as clients from the neighbouring Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Togo.
“The Hospital attends to approximately over one hundred thousand (100,000) outpatients and twenty-five thousand (25,000) in-patients annually and serves as a training institution for the School of Medicine of the University for Development Studies and other health training facilities across the nation.”
“Though through this partnership, TTH has made huge strides in enhancing the provision of oncology services, but for TTH to be able to fully manage all cancers, there would be the need for radiotherapy in addition to the chemotherapy treatments currently being provided. We therefore pray that Government and our partners support the establishment of a fully-equipped Radio-oncology Department to provide comprehensive treatment to clients” the Board Chairman appealed.
