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In the last week, 2 Ghanaians, a Physician, Dr. Adu Ofori and Honourable Kumi, have died, presumably from heart attacks. The death of Dr. Ofori has focused attention, rightly, in the absence of a cath lab in Kumasi, at KATH. In response, the government has promised to establish one urgently.
That is commendable but it should not have taken the death of a Doctor to get a cath lab in Kumasi. And the government’s response demonstrates our tendency to adhocracy. There was a regrettable death in Kumasi, so we would build a cath lab in Kumasi, but not in Tamale and Bolga and Ho and Takoradi? Are we waiting for a big death in Tamale before building one there? What would it take? A mishap while — Tafraky3, the President or Speaker is visiting the north or a Doctor or Honourable dies? A cath lab costs about 5 million USD and we could have built 5 for the cost of the National Cathedral! And we don’t need to consult Mayo or Yale, etc.
Renowned Ghanaian physicians like Ernest Afflu and Cyril Ofori can be summoned in Ghana’s name to partner with local cardiologists to accomplish this. Now, the death of Honourable Kumi shows that even in Accra, our emergency Healthcare leaves much to be desired. When he complained, he was not taken to any of the health facilities where he could have gotten appropriate care, like UGMC or Korle-bu, where he could have been treated for a Myocardial Infarction or Pulmonary Embolism that probably took his life.
These two cases show that we lack an adequate system for the management of health emergencies. In addition to cath labs for the places I mentioned, there needs to be CT scans in these places so that any Ghanaian with a stroke or heart attack will be within an hour of competent personnel and equipment. But those are not enough.
Dr. Ofori drove himself to the hospital– he knew that would be more reliable than calling an ambulance! We need to revamp our emergency response system, to include educating the public about how to respond to emergencies. Last December, I called for mandatory Basic Life Support Training for all SHS students and the willing public, together with the willing public.
This should be accompanied by the acquisition of Automated External Defibrillators that lay people can be trained to use. It is possible that its presence could have made a difference in Accra or Kumasi.Today, I repeat that call. These things have not been done not because they are too expensive– it is because they have not been prioritized.
Mr. President, let’s reset our emergency care system.
Long live Ghana.
Arthur Kobina Kennedy, MD
(9th July, 2025)
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