Victoria Ekeke, a fifty-two-year-old resident of Pig Farm in Accra, has expressed her gratitude for Vodafone Healthline’s financial support towards her abdominal surgery.
Victoria had been suffering from consistent abdominal complications for the past two years, a condition that made it impossible for her to get a good night’s sleep.
“Last two years in November, I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen and later realized that I had menstruated. I was confused because I thought I was in my menopause and so I went to the hospital. The doctor asked that I undertake a scan, and the results revealed I had a tumour in my womb, which required a surgical operation,” she explained.
According to her sister, Catherine Mensah, after the surgery, Victoria bled continuously for six months. Therefore, they came to Accra to stay together, but could not sleep at night for the past two years because of Victoria’s severe pain and screaming at night.
To find a solution, her sister Martha got in touch with Vodafone to seek help. “We went to Vodafone wailing and pleading for help and they offered to help us,” she explained.
Following a successful operation and recovery, the two sisters were overwhelmed with joy and expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Vodafone for the immense help. They asked God to bless Vodafone and expand the company’s productivity beyond boundaries so that they can continue to help others.
In another segment of the same episode, Medical Practitioners discussed novel approaches to sickle cell disease management. Dr. Sylvester Mensah, a Medical Officer, providing health education on the topic, explained that Sickle Cell is a genetic blood condition that is inherited from parents at birth.
He debunked claims that a person with sickle cell can only live for five years, emphasizing that with modern medical technology and innovative treatments, people with the condition can live long, normal lives.
He outlined current trends in managing the condition, such as neonatal screening, genetic counselling, pain management, psychosocial management, cell transplantation, and novel drugs.
In addition, he stated that with current management practices, neonatal screening, which is checking the child’s condition at birth, gives a timely diagnosis which decreases morbidity and mortality.
Drinking more water, good personal hygiene practices, control of extreme emotions or stress, and taking prescribed drugs can keep a sickle cell patient alive longer and healthier. He also advised anyone who experiences such sickle cell conditions to seek medical advice.