Accra, Dec.11, GNA – To save the lives of unhealthy but needy and vulnerable women, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ghana (SOGOG), has organised a three-day surgical outreach service for them in the Upper East region.
The service at the Bawku Presby and Bolga regional hospitals covered 17 gynaecological surgeries comprising removal of the womb due to cancer of the ovary and cancer of the womb itself, removal of the womb due to fibroids and removal of fibroids and repair of the womb for those with fertility wishes.
A statement from SOGOG, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said one patient whose vagina was closed and menstrual flow had accumulated in the womb giving her constant abdominal pain, and thereby making her appear five months pregnant, had surgery to re-open the vagina and drain off the accumulated menstrual flow.
Other women with the womb coming out of the vagina also had surgery performed with the womb restored to its normal position or removed and the vagina repaired.
The last category of patients who had been leaking urine from obstetric fistula also had the fistulas repaired, it noted.
Of the 17 gynaecological surgeries performed over a three-day period, Bawku Presby hospital benefitted from 14 of the surgeries, the statement said.
Outreach services offered opportunities for skill transfer and mentorship for colleagues in hard to reach areas, the statement said, adding that other health cadres also got the opportunity to observe and assist in surgeries that were not routinely performed in their facilities.
It also gave members of SOGOG exposure to the working conditions in rural parts of the country.
Dr. Ali Samba, the President of SOGOG, who led the team commended the Bawku Presby Hospital management team led by Dr. Bernard Kwaku Okai for hosting the outreach.
The ground logistics, he explained, were expertly managed by Dr. Okai and his team to ensure a seamless flow of work.
He also thanked the theatre staff of both hospitals for their willingness to work long hours to ensure that all the patients who presented received their much needed surgical care.
Dr. Samba also appreciated Ernest Chemist Limited for the medicines donated to Bawku Presby Hospital and for supporting SOGOG with a modest cash donation to facilitate travel and stay in the Upper East region over the period of the outreach.
He explained how Ernest Chemist had supported past outreach services, saying: “It should be possible in future to support multiple health facilities in one region simultaneously if we have the necessary financial support.”
Other members of the SOGOG team were: – Dr. Gabriel Ganyaglo (organising secretary), Dr. Barbara Fenyi (Western region), Dr. Francis Wuobar (Eastern region), and Dr. Akua Pupulampo (Anaesthesiologist, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital).
Before heading to Bawku, the statement said the team paid a courtesy call on the Upper East regional health management team and were received by the Deputy Director, Clinical care, Deputy Director Public Health and the Director of Finance.
The regional health management expressed gratitude to SOGOG for choosing facilities in the region as beneficiaries of the 2021 outreach service.
Each year, the society extends gynaecological surgery services to deprived and/or hard to reach parts of the country. Past beneficiaries have been Nkwanta South Municipal in the Oti region and Yeji in the Bono East region.
Although the main focus of the outreach service was gynaecological surgeries, the team conducted outpatient consults and reviewed other gynaecological patients in both facilities, otherwise the patients would have been referred to tertiary care centres outside their location.
GNA