Tamale Urology and Modern Surgical Centre makes impact
The Tamale Urology and Modern Surgical Centre is one of the leading minimally invasive surgery facilities in the country.
The centre’s medical team independently performed a successful laparoscopic and radical prostatectomy procedure, a rare feat by local doctors in the country.
“We also discharged a patient who travelled from Madrid in Spain.
He had lived with a catheter for two years while in Spain, but came here a week ago for surgery, which was successfully performed.
“Currently, we have two or three patients from Burkina Faso, and one patient recently returned to Togo after treatment,” the Medical Director of the centre, Dr Akisibadek Afoko, has said.
Event
Dr Afoko was speaking at the launch of the 10th anniversary celebration of the centre at Nanton-Zuo last Saturday.
The gathering
Themed: “10 Years of compassionate healthcare: Strengthening partnerships for universal health coverage in northern Ghana," the event was attended by health professionals, CSOs, chiefs and the general public.
Established in 2016 as a modest clinic, the centre provides specialist medical services to residents in northern Ghana and also complements the services of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
In 2022, the facility expanded its operations with the construction of a maternal and child health unit and an outpatient department to address the healthcare needs of women and children in the area.
Support
Dr Afoko entreated the Ministry of Health to consider posting healthcare professionals to private health facilities operating in underserved communities across the country.
He said this would help address the persistent shortage of health professionals in deprived communities where private and non-governmental facilities continue to provide essential healthcare services.
Dr Afoko said many such facilities invested their own resources in training and supporting young health professionals after school, but later lose them when the government posts them to other health institutions.
The situation, he said, placed enormous pressure on underserved private healthcare providers, many of whom already operated with limited staff despite serving large populations in underserved areas.
“If a mission hospital situated in the middle of town is entitled to government-posted staff, then those of us operating in underserved communities should also benefit — some for training purposes and others to work permanently,” the director added.
Dr Afoko, who is also the President of Le Mete Ghana, a CSO, said improving staff distribution would help bridge the healthcare gap between urban and rural communities and improve access to quality healthcare delivery in remote locations.
Commendation
The Northern Regional Health Director, Dr Chrysantus Kubio, commended the management of the facility for its contribution to healthcare delivery in the country.
He said the centre’s achievements demonstrated that attaining universal health coverage was not the sole responsibility of government but required collective action, strategic partnerships and sustained community engagement.
