By Stephen Asante
Accra, Oct. 18, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has inaugurated a state-of-the-art €38 million Urology and Nephrology Centre at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in Accra.
The facility is the largest of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa and aims to enhance healthcare delivery.
At an inaugural ceremony on Friday, President Akufo-Addo noted that the centre was specifically designed to effectively address urologic-related diseases, which are prevalent among men aged 40 and older.
“It is a game-changer in providing urologic healthcare services,” he stated, adding that the construction of the facility, which began in 2020, reflected the government’s commitment to achieving universal healthcare coverage in the country.
The Urology and Nephrology Centre features a thirty-one-suite dialysis station for individuals with kidney disorders and seventy beds for genito-urinary patients.
It offers outpatient services and serves as a resource base for conducting research into urology and nephrology cases.
The center encompasses various units, including outpatient, diagnostic and treatment, inpatient services, administration, a training room, and a management and technology center.
President Akufo-Addo was confident that the construction of the edifice at the KBTH would put the country’s largest health referral facility “in a strong position to give meaning to medical tourism services to neighboring countries, thereby increasing its revenue base to expand services”.
Urologic diseases encompass a wide range of conditions related to the filtering and elimination of urine from the body.
Medical experts note that while emergency urologic conditions are relatively common, they are rarely life-threatening; however, prompt management is often necessary to prevent severe or permanent complications.
Common urological conditions include prostate cancer, bladder cancer, bladder prolapse, hematuria (blood in the urine), erectile dysfunction (ED), interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome), overactive bladder, and prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland).
According to management at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, there was an increase of approximately 14,000 urologic cases at the Out-Patient Department (OPD) in 2023.
The President urged the management to diligently ensure the proper utilization and maintenance of the state-of-the-art health facility.
He disclosed that about 69 per cent of the projects under ‘Agenda 111’, a flagship initiative of his administration aimed at enhancing healthcare infrastructure in the country, are nearing completion.
“Healthcare infrastructure stands as one of the legacies of my Administration,” the President emphasised.
Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, Minister of Health, was hopeful the Centre would boost surgical care for urologic emergency cases in the country.
Professor James E. Mensah, Head of the Urology Unit at KBTH, stressed the need to for increased investment in the training of urologists in Ghana.
He pointed out that the country currently had only 78 urologists, a number that is insufficient given the rising incidence of urologic cases.
GNA