Renowned Surgeon and former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has called for Ghana to match global standards in surgical operations, citing inadequate facilities, equipment, and investment in specialist training.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Monday, January 12, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said many complex surgeries are still carried out abroad because Ghana lacks world-class infrastructure to handle such procedures.
He noted that the country has fallen behind in the provision of modern equipment, sustained investment, and continuous training of surgeons, stressing that these gaps have hindered the growth of specialised surgical services, particularly in heart surgery.
According to him, capacity in cardiac surgery has not expanded significantly over the years due to limited investment in both equipment and human resource development.
“It has not grown that much; there has not been adequate investment in equipment and training. Training is very important. We have to train people all the time for the next generation. But that has been lagging.
“Training is very important. We have to train people all the time for the next generation, but that has been lagging,” he said.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng observed that while some private hospitals in Ghana have strong diagnostic capabilities, only a few centres are equipped to carry out complex surgical procedures.
He expressed hope that private sector players would invest boldly in surgical care to help close the gap.
He further stressed the need for leadership and strategic investment to ensure that Ghana keeps pace with rapid global advancements in medical technology.
“There are private hospitals in Ghana that do diagnostics, but there are only a few centres that are able to do the surgery. So, we’re hoping that some bold private people will get involved. We need equipment, things are growing very fast and developing very fast, and we need to be abreast with the times.
“There are very motivated, intelligent people around, but somebody must be there to lead and train and get the equipment there so that we can be abreast with the rest of the world,” he said.
The former minister rejected comparisons that place Ghana’s surgical performance within only regional benchmarks, insisting that the country must aim to be competitive globally.
He noted that Ghana is currently unable to perform certain advanced procedures, such as heart and lung transplants, while some paediatric cardiac cases still require referral abroad.
“I don’t like things like we’re good in West Africa, Africa, we’re good in South of the Sahara, no, if we’re good, we should be at par with the rest of the world. We cannot do a transplant of the heart; the lungs. We cannot do certain things in the heart. We do pediatric cases, but some are sent outside.
He also called for the expansion of existing facilities, describing the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital as too small to meet growing demand.
He expressed optimism that the University of Ghana Medical Centre would help ease pressure on specialised health facilities when fully developed.
“We need to expand the facility, Korle-Bu; the cardio centre is too small. The University of Ghana Medical Centre is coming up, and I hope that it will absorb some of the pressures,” he stated.
