By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Bolgatanga, Sept. 8, GNA -Dr Joseph Kojo Tambil, the Medical Director of the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga, says the facility’s primary focus is to improve the lives of clients and patients through the continuous delivery of quality healthcare.
“As a Regional Hospital, our focus is on making people’s lives better. We know that the children who often come to us with cancers have been the most vulnerable,” he said.
Dr Tambil made the remarks when he launched the hospital’s maiden Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, also known as Gold Ribbon, on the theme: “Demonstrating Impact: From Challenge to Change.”
The programme was organised by the Paediatric Oncology Unit of the hospital in collaboration with the Childhood Cancer Society of Ghana.
It attracted heads of departments, paediatric specialist doctors, nurses and other stakeholders, including Mr Mark Anthony Azongo, the Regional Coordinator of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund.
Dr Tambil said the hospital was particularly committed to improving cancer care in the region, noting that although the facility might not make significant financial gains from providing such services, the impact on affected children, their families and the wider community was substantial.
“We know that we are not making much as a hospital, but we are making an impact on the lives of the people; the children who are affected, the families that they come from, and generally the community as a whole,” he said.
He stressed the need for increased awareness and early detection of cancer, particularly childhood cancers, to improve treatment outcomes.
Dr Tambil added that the hospital would continue to support initiatives aimed at strengthening cancer services and improving access to specialized care in the region.
He disclosed that management was working to establish a histopathology laboratory at the hospital to facilitate timely cancer diagnosis.
“We are also working to have a histopathology laboratory of our own. You know that for cancer diagnosis, the background of a good histopathology lab is very important,” he said.
Dr Tambil said a pathologist had recently assessed the facility’s laboratory and expressed satisfaction with its quality, and that management was working to acquire the necessary equipment to enable the laboratory to prepare slides for examination.
He further disclosed that the hospital was engaging an oncologist in Tamale to visit the facility at least once a week to review cancer cases.
“We are not doing only paediatric oncology but broadly, all cancer cases. The surgical department has also been very supportive of the push to manage oncology cases,” he added.
Dr Tambil expressed optimism about the future of cancer care at the hospital, saying the commitment of management and staff was yielding positive results.
“So, the future looks bright and I am happy about it. The mark of any good leadership is not what we do for the privileged people in society, but the poorest and the most disadvantaged. So, for us, that is our focus,” Dr Tambil said.
He commended the hospital’s staff, particularly the paediatric oncology nurses, for their dedication and expressed hope that continued support would enable the facility to establish a well-equipped paediatric oncology and broader oncology unit capable of providing quality care to patients in the region.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Reporter’s email addreess: [email protected]