The only cancer treatment machine at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has broken down leaving a large number of patients stuck and posing a threat to public health.
On July 4, 2024, patients with breast cancer were denied treatment due to equipment malfunctions. Many, including a referred patient from the University of Ghana Medical Centre, are without critical life-saving care.
“I started this journey about two years ago, treating breast cancer at the University of Ghana Medical Center. I initially did surgery at the UGMC, but after a recurrence, I was referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for chemotherapy and radiation therapy,” Sandra told JoyNews in a telephone interview.
“I was scheduled to start my treatment here at Korle Bu. But when I arrived, I was told the machine had broken down. That was a month ago. I was rescheduled for last Thursday to start my radiation therapy. I managed to receive treatment on Thursday and Friday, and I was supposed to continue from Monday, every working day, for 16 days, but that has been a big challenge.
“Today marks one week, and I’ve only completed two sessions. As I speak, I am returning from Korle Bu, the machine has broken down again. I couldn’t receive my treatment. I’m not just speaking for myself; many women are in the queue waiting,” she added.
The Head of the Medical Centre for Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Joel Yarney confirmed that Ghana only has two oncology equipment units, one at Komfo Anokye and one at Korle Bu.
The delay in repairs has led to oncologists withdrawing services, and increasing cancer cases in Ghana.
“We used to have just a handful of cases per day at our facility. These days, we are seeing an increase in the number of cancer cases in the country, and the resources to deal with it are simply not there. We are now dealing with up to 60 cases per day, with that sort of pressure on a single machine it will cause it to break down,” Prof Yarney told JoyNews.
Source: Joyonline
