The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is urgently renewing its long-standing appeal for the establishment of a cardiac intervention laboratory following the painful loss of one of its distinguished emergency physicians, Dr. Kwame Adu Ofori, who died from a heart attack over the weekend.
Dr. Ofori, widely respected for his dedication to critical care, succumbed to a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, after colleagues made every effort to save him. However, their attempts were severely hindered by the absence of a cardiac lab, a critical facility required to diagnose and treat blocked heart vessels. Without the needed equipment to perform a timely, minimally invasive procedure, his life could not be saved.
As Ghana’s second-largest referral facility, KATH plays a central role in delivering specialist care to millions in the Ashanti Region and beyond. Yet, it continues to operate without a single cardiac intervention laboratory, an essential standard in cardiovascular treatment. Presently, the only such facility in Ghana is located in Accra, leaving vast populations without access to lifesaving cardiac intervention.
“It was an emotionally difficult situation,” recalled KATH CEO, Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo. “We managed to stabilize him and arranged for a military airlift to Accra, complete with a specialized medical team awaiting his arrival. Unfortunately, he died before reaching the hospital.”
The sudden death of Dr. Ofori has sent ripples of grief throughout the hospital, especially among colleagues who knew him as a committed physician who spent his career fighting to save others in critical conditions, only to fall victim to a system he worked tirelessly to uphold.
According to Dr. Baidoo, the need for a cardiac lab is not a new concern. He revealed that a formal request had recently been made to the Bank of Ghana during a high-level visit, and a proposal is being developed to seek financial support.
“If constructed, this will be the first time in our 67-year existence that a cardiac lab will be established here. We serve an entire region and parts of the north, yet we lack what should be considered basic cardiac infrastructure,” Dr. Baidoo emphasized.
A cardiac intervention procedure involves threading a thin, flexible tube through a patient’s blood vessel, typically via the wrist or leg, to the heart. This advanced, non-surgical method allows doctors to quickly identify and treat blockages without performing open-heart surgery.
Beyond the urgent need for the cardiac lab, the hospital is also grappling with broader infrastructure concerns. Dr. Baidoo disclosed that the sterilization unit at KATH is currently non-operational, further compounding the challenges facing quality healthcare delivery.
Hospital authorities have since notified the Ministry of Health, which has assured management of plans to construct cardiac laboratories not only in Kumasi but also in Tamale and an additional one in Accra.
Healthcare workers at KATH are now hoping that this tragic loss will become a turning point, one that finally compels the nation’s leaders to prioritize critical healthcare infrastructure and end the cycle of avoidable cardiac deaths.
Source: Wesleyannews.com
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