The Roche Group, a pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, has commissioned a Cancer treatment Centre at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) in the Northern Region.
The facility would among other things facilitate access to oncology services for cancer patients around the catchment area of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Among other things, the Centre would create awareness, screening, and treatment of breast cancer, and other cancer related disease.
It will also serve patients with other cancers, and help ensure early diagnosis to prevent avoidable deaths and complications.
Dr Philip Anderson, the Country Manager of Roche, at the launch of the Centre, said the Tamale Teaching Hospital Centre is one of three facilities Roche had established within the country to provide cancer treatment.
He said Roche, had adopted a holistic approach to healthcare delivery, and thus engaged in the partnership to help provide accessible total care to cancer patients.
“Access to quality health care for cancer patients most especially in this part of the country was a major concern to Roche, hence our partnership with the government to improve access for better healthcare delivery to cancer patients”, he stressed.
Dr Anderson also revealed that health personnel at the Tamale Teaching Hospital have undergone training in cancer surveillance and diagnostics ahead of the launch of the facility.
The first lady Madam, Rebeca Akuffo Addo, whose speech was read on her behalf, said cancer was becoming a public health emergency in the county, with more women in their 20s and 30s being diagnosed with the disease.
She said, this has planted many families into poverty and cut short the lives of many vibrant young women in the country.
The First lady also indicated that, lack of disease awareness, finances, limited skills and deficient of health professionals are some of the significant gabs affecting quality health care delivering in the country.
While expressing worry over these challenges, she however lauded the efforts of Roche Group for working towards addressing these challenges.
On his part, director of pharmacy at the TTH Dr Hamidu Abdulai indicated that, “we now have the opportunity to prepare, transport and administer oncology medicines within the same facility under desirable condition, maximizing therapeutic outcomes and safety whist minimizing risk of staff, patients and the environment”.
Mayor of Tamale Sule Salifu, who represented the Northern Regional minister Shani Alhassan Sayibu, called on management of TTH, to institute a good client relationship system within the facility to ensure patients have first class service delivery at the hospital.
Roche has been working to improve oncology care in Ghana and in 2018 signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ghana Ministry of Health to conduct disease awareness programmes; increase screening to promote early detection; establish centers of excellence; improve diagnostic facilities at treatment centers; train specialists; develop a national cancer registry to better understand the disease burden; and establish national treatment guidelines.
Story by: Yakubu Alhassan | www.diamondfmonline.com
