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KOICA collaborates with KH Medicals to establish medical diagnosis center.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has collaborated with KH Medical Africa, to establish a medical diagnosis center, to improve the delivery of quality healthcare in the country.
The facility which was officially opened yesterday in Accra will provide diagnostic solutions, including molecular diagnostic kits that utilize DNA-based technologies to identify and analyse material, enabling precise and sensitive detection of pathogens, genetic mutation, and other biomarkers.
The Presidential Advisor on Health, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, who was at the opening ceremony, thanked KOICA for their immense continuous contributions towards the improvement of Ghana’s healthcare delivery.
He said about 91 of the construction works on the ‘Agenda 111’ district, specialized, and regional hospitals are ongoing across the country.
He said by the end of the second quarter of next year, the majority of the projects would be completed to augment the government’s effort, in providing accessible and quality healthcare for Ghanaians.
He said the expected projects to be completed next year, include regional hospitals, accommodations for health personnel, as well as modern equipment to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare
Dr Nsiah-Asare said that, since most of the ‘Agenda 111 facilities were targeted at improving healthcare in the rural areas, the government was considering the construction of bungalows for health personnel who would be working in these facilities.
He said plans were also far advanced for the construction and production of a vaccine manufacturing hub, to prepare for any eventualities as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said this follows the recommendations of the African Union (AU) for members to adequately invest in the area of vaccines, in tackling future pandemics, which the government was working tirelessly to ensure the production of vaccines.
“There is a strong collaboration between the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) and developing partners like the European Union, and the GIZ to ensure the successful construction and production of the vaccine hub.
We are following the recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the processes leading to the production of these vaccines,” Dr Nsiah-Asare said.
He said the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, was also part of the team of ensuring Ghana established a vaccine research institute, adding that, a board has been instituted to oversee the works leading to the establishment of the institute.
The KOICA Country Director, Mr Donghyun Lee, said, KOICA firmly believed in the importance of providing an accessible universal healthcare system for Ghanaians.
He was hopeful the facility would significantly contribute to bolstering the healthcare system of the country, to ensure inclusive, affordable, and accessible healthcare.
Mr Lee said the establishment of the KOICA-KH Centre was an innovative diagnostic laboratory, aimed at providing comprehensive clinical diagnostic testing services in areas of DNA-based technologies and immunoassay diagnostic.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
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Swedru All Blacks back to winning ways, Roshan humble King Faisal
Sekondi Rospak FC made it eight wins in eight successive home games after three second-half goals from John Amoah, Joseph Ntow and Stephen Anthony Kofi. John Amoah opened the scoring in the 55th minute after a barren first half. Joseph Ntow added to the tally in the 56th minute before Stephen Anthony Kofi rounded things up in the 74th minute to give Rospak a 3-0 win over former Premier League side King Faisal.
Elsewhere at Swedru – leaders Swedru All Blacks humbled PAC Academy in an emphatic 2-0 win. Zayat Bubakari scored first for Swedru All Blacks in the 27th minute before Rudolf Junior Nana Kwasi Mensah made it 2-0 in the 34th minute. Swedru All Blacks are top of the table with 36 points – 4 points ahead of second placed Rospak FC.
Meanwhile, Former Premier League side Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs recorded their fourth successive home victory after beaten New Edubiase United 2-1 at the Robert Mensah Park. Enoch Odoom struck first for Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs in the 19th minute but Steven Asante equalized for New Edubiase United before halftime. After the interval, Godfred Eshun scored from distance in the 65th minute to help Cape Coast Mysterious Dwarfs secure all the points.
Here are the results in Zone Two
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Cervical Cancer alert: Avoid sex at early age
The Programmes Manager of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Mary Efua Commeh, has advised young girls to avoid sex at an early age.
This, she explained, will give the cervix the opportunity to mature before they become sexually active.
“You need to delay what we call the first sexual intercourse as much as possible to give the cervix the opportunity to mature before the person becomes sexually active,” she said.
Dr Commeh stated this in an interview with The Spectator in Accra on Tuesday as a part of the Cervical Cancer awareness month.
According to her, cervical cancer was the second leading female cancer in Ghana with a total of about 3,072 cases annually, and out of that, 1,815 deaths are recorded, representing more than 50 per cent.
She indicated that “If young girls are going to be sexually active, then you need to talk to your parents about being vaccinated.”
She explained that vaccinating young girls against human papillomavirus (HPV) has been found to be a very effective way of preventing cervical cancer.
“There are countries that started HPV vaccination years ago and they are not seeing any cervical cancers now because they would have eliminated most of the high-risk HPVs in their women. So if the high-risk HPV is not there, then obviously the results on cervical cancers are going to go down,” she added.
Dr Commmey said the HPV vaccination is recommended for young girls aged nine to 14 years, adding that it had been found to be highly effective, not just for cervical cancers but for other HPV-related cancers, such as anal cancers, cancers of the vagina, genital warts, amongst others.
She further elaborated that the idea is to put up a barrier before the HPV comes in and that once a young female encounters it, she is already protected.
She also mentioned that for cervical cancers, the main cause is called HPV infection, saying generally, all sexually active women acquire HPV at some point in their lives.
However, the Programmes Manager of NCDs at the GHS mentioned that the body has a way of clearing the HPV, explaining that it is a natural mechanism that goes on, unfortunately, there are a few women whose HPV persists.
Moreover, she noted that the numbers for Cervical Cancer tend to be much higher because at times, clients would wait, and try all sorts of medications before they finally report to the health facility saying “we actually lose some women before they get to the hospitals with over 75 per cent of the cases coming in its third and fourth stages.”
Dr Commey, therefore, called for public awareness while ensuring the availability of information for prevention and control.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
