35 Per cent of burns reported at Korle-Bu from petrochemical products
The discovery of oil and gas, seen by many as a blessing, is turning into a misfortune for those directly involved in it, as 35 per cent of burns reported at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is from the petrochemical industry.
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Incidentally, Ghana has only eight plastic surgeons, a number that is woefully inadequate to deal with the rising cases of burns. The frequent domestic and industrial fire outbreaks have also contributed to a rise in the cases of burns.
Speaking at the opening of a three-day conference of the Pan African Burns Society in Accra, the acting Chief Executive Officer of the KBTH,
Reverend Albert Botchway, stressed that “though many see the oil and gas discovery in Ghana and some other African countries as a blessing, ironically, injuries from petrochemical products accounted for 35 per cent of admissions to the Burns Centre in Korle Bu.”
Burns-related injuries, according to Reverend Botchway, claim the lives of about 300,000 every year in developing countries, but very little attention, by way of infrastructure and resources, is given to burns treatment.
He announced that to ensure patients received best care, the KBTH, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), would build a burns intensive care unit to augment the existing facilities at the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at the KBTH.
Reconstructive plastic and burns surgery is a speciality of plastic surgery committed to the restoration of form and function of any body part. Plastic surgeons routinely deal with burns, facial, limbs, nerves, tendons and blood vessel injuries, skin cancers, birth anomalies, lymphoedema and cosmetic problems.
The conference
The meeting brought together about 100 participants from Canada, Benin, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Niger, Rwanda, and Togo. Among other things, the delegates shared ideas, networked and learnt best practices in dealing with burns cases, which according to the Director of the Ghana Ambulance Service, Dr Ahmed Nuhu Zakariah, could make patients carry both physical and emotional scars for life.
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While many lose their lives, those who survive burns, according to Dr Zakariah, lived with the disfigurement for life.
He observed that the major challenge facing the African burns surgeons was the management of major burns.
“Survival is greatly dependent on adequate therapeutic measures, including resuscitation, infection control, early wound closure and management of inhalation injury, among others.”
The Pan African Burns Society
Founded by its President, Dr Elbie Van der Merwe of South Africa, the society is working towards raising awareness of burns, which many governments have ignored, citing lack of resources as a major reason.
Ghana, however, has a 68-bed Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, which according to the Director of Administration at the MoH, is the only facility in West Africa.
Daily Graphic/Ghana