By Prince Acquah
Cape Coast, Feb 22, GNA – The Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH) has taken delivery of a range of medical equipment to enhance the operations of the hospital’s surgical department.
The equipment were donated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to reduce the burden on the hospital to acquire equipment and mitigate the pain of patients resulting from inadequate logistics.
The items included mesher and dermatome for the plastic surgery unit, and a thoracotomy set for the trauma and general surgery unit.
Others are pulse oximeters and defibrillators for the newly established Highly Dependency Unit (HDU), and saws, motor drill among other instruments for the orthopedic, neuro surgery and urology units.
The items were handed over by Elder Brian Dunn and Sharon Dunn, the couple in charge of Humanitarian Services of the Church, and received by Dr Kwasi Agyen-Mensah, Head of Surgery of CCTH at a brief ceremony on Wednesday.
Dr Agyen-Mensah who is also Head of Surgery at University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences (UCCSMS), said the equipment would significantly improve the hospital’s surgical operations with increased success rates.
He noted that for a long time, plastic surgeons for instance, had had to improvise certain instruments and equipment because they lacked the right resources to work with.
“Fortunately for us, when we put in the request, it came in so timely,” he said gleefully.
He revealed how two HDUs had been established with limited equipment, even though they required some critical items to make them fully operational.
“So fortunately, we also received pulse oximeters and defibrillators and other little things that we need to operate.
“And so now, we have the full set of equipment and items to help start the HDUs for the first time ever in this hospital and that will be done latest within the next two weeks,” he stated.
Dr Agyen-Mensah expressed gratitude to the church for being “very helpful” to the hospital, adding that “we are still working with them to get other items”.
Elder Dunn explained that the gesture was in response to the hospital’s call for support a few months ago, and part of the church’s mission to provide help for the needy which it did without recourse to gender, race, religion, or political affiliation of beneficiaries.
“We researched and found out that there was the need to help burnt victims for example and those medical equipment were not available.
“So, we worked with the hospital to provide the equipment to meet their needs.
“We are following the example of Jesus Christ by helping those in need and the doctors have to be best equipped to help those in need,” Elder Dunn noted.
While commending the hospital for its good works, he urged management to take good care of the equipment to last many years.
GNA