Ghana gets first stem cell treatment centre

By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi 

Accra, Nov. 15, GNA – Dr Emmanuel Srofenyoh, Medical Director, Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH), says the Hospital has established the first stem cell treatment centre in the country to cater for chronic diseases.

The centre, which will start operations soon, has a technology to cure diseases such as chronic kidney diseases, stroke with neurological deficit and chronic liver diseases.

“There is now technology to cure certain chronic diseases. This technology is called stem cell technology where stem cells can be extracted from your body, processed, nurtured, and grown. When those stem cells are sent back into your body, they will identify organs that are defective and heal them, ” the Medical Director said.

Dr Srofenyoh said this at a media engagement where he spoke about major achievements the Hospital had chalked over the past five years after its elevation from the Ridge Hospital to Greater Accra Regional Hospital with the capacity of providing quality secondary and tertiary health care.

The engagement was part of activities earmarked for the celebration of the fifth anniversary dubbed: “Quality Healthcare Delivery: The Role of a Modern Public Health Facility”.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the Medical Director said, “the centre has very skilled professionals to use the technology and chronic conditions can be reversed completely”.

He said the technology was capital intensive and was acquired through a partnership with a private entity in an agreement that proceeds from the services rendered would be shared.

Dr Srofenyoh told the GNA that management of the Hospital had also established a Bed Management Bureau with an appointment of a bed coordinator to address the “No Bed Syndrome”.

He said the Hospital after five years, could boost of services from specialists like cardiologist, endocrinologist, diabetics specialist, general surgical specialists, neurosurgeons, and urologists.

Others are obstetricians, intensive care specialists, trauma and orthopedic specialists and plastic surgeons.

The Greater Accra Regional Hospital has been designated by the Ghana Health Service as the tourism health institution to deliver best services to foreigners whilst boosting economic value.

The Hospital is the only regional hospital accredited to a tertiary facility status by the Health Facility Regulatory Agency (HeFRA).

It has also been accredited to train personnel in dental, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics departments in post graduate teaching.

The fifth anniversary is a week-long celebration from Monday 14 to Sunday 20, with a community durbar and health screening at Adabraka and symposium on medical negligence on Tuesday.

There will be facility tour and public lecture on Wednesday and Thursday respectively, Friday and Saturday will be climaxed with grand anniversary durbar and sports activities respectively with a thanksgiving service on Sunday.

GNA