Kumasi Burn Intensive Care Unit (BICU) opened in February 2001 at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana. The BICU is now a thriving eight-bed unit with a staff of three surgeons, three specialised burn ward nurses and a full complement of ward nurses employed by the hospital.
In 2009, the new Accident Unit was opened at KATH and now provides an additional four bed ICU solely for burns. The unit now performs more than 1000 operations each year – one-third of which are burn related. 45% of burns patients are children under five years of age.
Over 1350 patients have now been admitted and treated in the burns unit, which boasts a survival rate of 90%. Thanks to the support of Resurge, relatively small investment of £100,000, and the dedication, passion and skill of the local medical team, the BICU has transformed the face of reconstructive surgery and burn care in the region. In 2019, supported by Resurge, Kumasi surgeon Dr Emile Tano undertook a 3 month clinical placement at Ganga Hospital, in Coimbatore, India, hosted by long time friend and partner Professor Raja Sabapathy who has given so much time to the Resurge training programme.
The unit is also fast becoming a training centre for the region – a wound healing workshop in Kumasi attracted over 200 medical and nursing delegates from all over Ghana; every single region in the country was represented. This gave theoretical and practical training for staff who work at small peripheral clinics and community hospitals.
STAFF TO GROW”
The unit is making a real difference for the people of Ghana. But there’s still more to do. The BICU now deals with a number of burns patients comparable with that treated in Scotland each year – a figure far in excess of what the unit can care for.
In the future, we hope to enable the unit and its staff to grow and provide comprehensive ongoing care for burn and trauma patients, as well as a whole range of reconstructive surgery procedures. But we can’t do it without your help.
The Team
The team at the Kumasi Burn Intensive Care Unit is committed to caring for the people of Ghana.
We’ve supported them throughout their training and we’re proud to continue to support them as they change the face of reconstructive surgery in West Africa.
But none of this would be possible without the support of people like you. Find out how you can help us continue our work in West Africa by donating, volunteering or fundraising.
Read some of our patients stories
