Mankesim, May. 28, GNA – Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, has pledged the ministry’s commitment to make the Mercy Women’s Hospital at Mankesim in the Central Region, a Fistula Center of Execellence.
Nana Oye Lithur who made the pledge when she visited fistula patients at the hospital in Mankesim said, her ministry will partner the Ministry of Health and other donor partners to achieve the objective.
The hospital which started operations four years ago is under the care of the Roman Catholic Church of Ghana.
Nana Oye Lithur explained that the ministry gets support from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Gender Development Center for the mobilization and free treatment of fistula patients across the country
She said the ministry also supports patients who are treated and discharged, with some funds to re-integrate them into society, adding that, “last year the ministry mobilized 30 women who were treated and re-integrated, and has so far organized 40 patients this year
Nana Oye Lithur advised Ghanaians to support fistula patients and not to stigmatize and discriminate against them in society.
Dr Patrick Yamoah, Medical Suprintendent of the Hospital, said Obstetric Fistula is mostly caused by poor socio-economic conditions and bad cultural practices.
He said this is attributed to poverty and access to basic health care, adding that some patients come to the hospital themselves under the pretext of neglection by their husband and family members.
“It takes a total cost of about 2,000 Ghana cedis for the operation of one patient and takes the patient about a month to recover.”
Dr Yamoah said the hospital has operated more than 60 patients from January till now, and had referred some of them to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
He mentioned that a team of visiting doctors from the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital often visit the hospital to assist the resident doctors with the operations.
Dr Yamoah also mentioned that the hospital was faced with some challenges, and that lack of staff was the major challenge facing the hospital.
He said surgery alone cannot solve the problem, and hat the patients need some start up capital to start life as they have been stigmatized in their various communities.
GNA
This article has 0 comment, leave your comment.