This May marks the 15th anniversary of the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at Korle Bu. Through the commitment to training of the founders of this Centre, most notably Jack Mustarde, and the ongoing dedication and commitment of its staff, the RPSB has become a regional centre for excellence. Providing essential treatment to thousands of patients annually, the Centre also offers training and support in the essential techniques of recosntructive surgery to surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists and therapists in Ghana and West Africa. It is fitting therefore that to mark its 15th anniversary, the Centre is planning an exciting new training outreach initiative within Ghana

This article is taken from the Daily Graphic, Ghana, via the portal Myjoyonline

The Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre (RPSBC) of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is collaborating with the Ministry of Health and the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) to begin an initiative to help train medical students, doctors and health personnel to provide surgical services for patients at the TTH.

The training forms part of a main surgical outreach programme through which free surgical services will be organised for patients in the hospital as part of activities to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the RPSBC.

The outreach programme will begin from June 4 to 11, this year, with the ultimate goal of establishing a reconstructive centre in the north.

It is planned to kick-start a regular clinical visit to the northern sector of the country where no reconstructive plastic surgery services are available.

Presently, patients have to travel all the way to Korle-Bu in Accra or the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, the only two places in the country where such surgical services can be obtained.

After the programme, a surgeon will be regularly sent to the TTH to work with the local doctors and health personnel, as well as provide training for the health personnel at the hospital.

The Director of the RPSBC, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, who made this known at a news briefing to mark the beginning of the centre’s 15th anniversary celebration, said the programme would, in the short term, enhance access to services and build local capacity.

“We plan to provide the surgical services free of charge during the outreach and as such we are calling on individuals and organisations to contribute meaningfully towards the programme to enable us to treat as many people as possible,” he said.

The director noted that injury from burns was the most devastating injury that a person could sustain and survive.

Apart from being potentially life threatening, he said, the prolonged physical and psychological morbidity from a severe burn was unsurpassed by any injury.

He said research indicated that at least 75 per cent of burn injuries could be prevented from the victim’s own actions.

Dr Ampomah stated that the problem of burn management and prevention was further compounded by poor education and preventive strategies at the community, corporate and national levels.

He, therefore, called on stakeholders in the various sectors which worked at centres where burns could and regularly did occur to educate their members of staff and the public on the prevention of burns.

Last year, there were 7,443 outpatient visits and 785 admissions at the centre, out of which 1,184 surgical operations and 1,024 physiotherapy interventions were made, despite the challenges facing the centre.

Deficient burn-care facilities, poor referral system for burn patients, high cost of treatment, inadequate physiotherapy, poor psychological rehabilitation and occupational therapy services, he said, worsened the outlook dramatically for the injured patients.

He affirmed that the emergence of Ghana as an oil-producing country would make an already complicated situation more complex, hence the need to urgently construct an Internal Care Unit (ICU) for the RPSBC and a world-class burns centre which would serve the entire West African sub-region, since there was none in the whole of West Africa.

He stated that under the leadership of Dr Martyn Webster, a Scottish charity, Resurge Africa, was raising funds abroad to establish the new burns centre but it was the responsibility of Ghanaians, its intended beneficiaries, to also strive to raise funds locally to establish the centre.

Dr Ampomah, therefore, called for the collaborative effort of all stakeholders to get those challenges resolved to enable the centre to achieve its maximum potential in the provision of world-class services for all.

Ulric Sena Aboni is a physiotherapist at Korle Bu teaching hospital in Ghana. He recently completed a 5-month training placement at the physiotherapy unit at Canniesburn in Glasgow. Resurge Africa has a commitment to funding physiotherapy training which is so essential to positive results and recovery of patients following reconstructive surgery.

Here is Ulric’s report:

“I was introduced to Resurge Africa during my placement at the Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit Korle bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) Ghana in 2009.

I happened to be the second lucky physiotherapist to be chosen by the charity after my predecessor Alberta Nyarko who was supported by the charity to be trained in the Burns and Plastic surgery therapy at Canniesburn, Glasgow.

I was delighted when the then director of the Burns and Plastic Unit KBTH Mr. Paintsil handed me a letter notifying me of my selection and an accompanying visa introduction letter from ReSurge Africa. It was not long before I met Mr. Webster, director of the Charity who detailed me on the program.

I found myself in Canniesburn, Glasgow between March and August 2011 where I commenced the training in earnest after meeting Mr. Allan Burns, the project manager, Miss Jennifer Lang, the team led and the entire Canniesburn staff.

During the program I had the opportunity to attend seminars and conferences in Scotland and England.

The program was divided into three phases. The first was a placement at the Burns Unit where I had the opportunity to treat in and out patients, make splints, part take in scar clinic and observe various surgical procedures such as Echarotomy, Skin grafts, flaps, tendons and nerves repairs, vessel anastomosis etc. I also had the opportunity to make presentations on various topics in burns and to attend case conferences.

My second placement was in the Outpatient plastic unit where I learnt a great deal of things including the various treatment protocols for tendons, nerves, vessels repairs, fractures and various hand conditions. During the placement I treated patients and built on my knowledge on splint making, wound dressing, stitches and k-wire removal.

I was also fortunate to have run the Physio Led Clinics which made me confident and improved my clinical reasoning.

Furthermore, attendance at the Consultant Led clinics broadens my knowledge in plastic surgery.

I also had brief placements at the hand trauma and general plastic wards where I was introduced to various clinical conditions and management of fresh injuries.

A visit to Yorkhill children Hospital gave me an insight of managements of paediatrics burn injuries during the training.

My sincere gratitude to Mr. Opoku Ware Ampomah, Mr. Albert Paintsil, Mr. Martyn Webster, Mr. Allan Burns, Ms Jennifer Lang and the entire Canniesburn staff.

To ReSurge Africa and all it’s patron I say a big thank you.