The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, yesterday unveiled an advanced neurosurgical equipment to facilitate the surgery of the conjoined twins at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH).
The over GH₵14 million ultramodern equipment would facilitate the separation of twins joined at the head and other highly complex surgeries in the country.
At a brief handover ceremony, Mr Agyeman-Manu expressed hope that the equipment would strengthen efforts towards making Ghana a medical tourism hub.
He said the President and his government had confidence in the team of experts handling the case and was hopeful the operation would be successful.
The minister added that his ministry in collaboration with the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) was working tirelessly to improve training and specialisation of medical officers in the country.
He called on the management of the hospital to uphold a good maintenance culture of the equipment to advance health care delivery services.
The Medical Director of the GARH, Dr Emmanuel K. Srofenyoh, was grateful to the government for the equipment and assured that it would be properly maintained to ensure optimum results.
He said the surgery for the conjoined twins was dear to the heart of management of the hospital as its success would serve as a great milestone in the history of GARH.
“We will continue to provide all needed support to ensure its success and leverage this equipment to provide more service to Ghanaians and many clients who come for treatment in the country,” he said.
The technical lead for the multidisciplinary team working on the separation of the twins, Dr Samuel Kaba, expressed gratitude to government for its swift response to purchasing the equipment and the entire surgical process so far.
The neurosurgical equipment, he said, made Ghana the first in the sub-region to own such life-saving modern technology to save lives.
“If the conjoined twins’ separation is successful, Ghana will become the centre for medical knowledge,” he added.
News of the conjoined twins born to the Bansah Family at Medie in the Eastern Region broke out in June last year, following a public appeal to raise funds for their separation.
Doctors said it would cost about GH¢3million to separate the Siamese siblings, a cost that had since been taken up by the government.
The twins, in their third month at the time, were joined at the head as data suggested that only about five per cent of such conjoined twins survived until surgery.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
