The Director of the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre (RPS&BC) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, has called for the early completion of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the centre.
He said although the three-storey building of the ICU was 90 per cent complete, it lacked basic amenities such as an elevator, electricity and essential equipment, adding that an estimated GH¢5 million was needed to complete the unit to make it fully operational.
The Project
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview, Dr Ampomah said the ICU with a theatre and office would house patients with severe injuries and also reduce the congestion in the wards.
The RPS&BC has two theatres and eight wards, with seven units, which are the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Unit, Burns Unit, Ulcer Unit, theatres and Recovery Wards, Executive Ward and Public Health Unit.
Challenges
He said despite its major operations, the burns centre, which is the only one in the country and one of the few in the sub-region, was still grappling with financial challenges, staffing and inadequate basic amenities and equipment to enhance its operations.
He said the centre needed more expert nurses, surgeons and physiotherapists to be able to cater for patients due to the number of people admitted.
He explained that the cost of some surgeries performed at the burns centre was so high that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) did not cater for such treatments.
He expressed the need for the immediate establishment of the tissue bank, saying that some burns needed plastic surgery and reconstruction for the individual to be restored to normal life.
Burns
Dr Ampomah said records at the unit showed that hot liquid accounted for most of the burns in children due to poor parental supervision, with gas explosion with severe injuries accounting for 44 per cent, and open flame and electrical fires, respectively causing 34 and 22 per cent of burns cases.
Safety measure
Dr Ampomah urged individuals to take preventive measures to avoid accidents, adding that, “Burns will reduce in the country if individuals improve their safety cultures”.
