National Cardiothoracic Centre refurbishes lab
A refurbished Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory of the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) was inaugurated by President John Dramani Mahama in Accra yesterday.
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The refurbishment involved the replacement of a 20-year-old diagnostic imaging equipment with a modern one which is able to visualise the arteries and the chambers of the heart better and treat any abnormality found.
The laboratory, otherwise known as Cath Lab, is expected to enhance heart healthcare in the country and in the West African sub-region by improving the investigation of all cardiovascular diseases before surgeries are carried out.
The Cath Lab was refurbished by the government with financial and technical assistance from the Chinese government.
Official opening
Inaugurating the laboratory, President Mahama said the installation of the new diagnostic imaging equipment formed part of national interventions to enhance quality heart healthcare.
He said with the new equipment, more lives could be saved due to its potential to pick heart diseases at their very early stages for appropriate management.
Mr Mahama, therefore, encouraged the public to take advantage of the refurbished laboratory to undertake frequent heart checks to stay healthy.
He was optimistic that with the quality of cardiologists at the KBTH and the installation of the new equipment, the hospital was in a position to serve the public better by saving more lives.
“However, it’s about time the KBTH had a new cardiothoracic centre because the old centre was long overdue,” he said.
Mr Mahama pledged to remain an advocate of the centre until there was a total replacement of its equipment and facilities.
He commended all stakeholders who had contributed to the birth of the new equipment, the staff and management of the centre and the hospital for their service to the nation.
Heart care to improve
The Director of the centre, Dr Lawrence Sereboe, expressed gratitude to Mr Mahama for the prompt response he gave to the request for the new equipment.
He said the equipment was one of the flagship introduced into the country to aid the work of cardiovascular surgeons.
According to him, the equipment the centre had was outmoded and had become irreparable, affecting the operations of the centre.
Dr Sereboe said hitherto, heart patients who had to travel outside the country for some specialised heart care could now receive such care at the centre due to the installation of the new equipment.