A team of cardiologists from Columbus, Ohio in the United States of America and their Ghanaian counterparts at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) have performed three successful pacemaker insertion surgeries at the hospital.
A pacemaker insertion is the implantation of a small electronic device that is usually placed in the chest – just below the collarbone – to help regulate slow electrical problems with the heart.
The historic surgery is a partnership between the Tamale Teaching Hospital and Arrhythmia Alliance Pace4Life.
The team comprised of Cardiologists, Anaesthestics, Radiology technicians and scrub nurses.
Leader of the team from Columbus Ohio, Dr. Kamel Addo told 3news.com that the procedure was to implant the pacemaker device and also provide a platform to share knowledge with the TTH team.
“This is also to provide a training, teaching and transfer of knowledge to the hardworking staff of the hospital here in northern Ghana and that I think is very important,” Dr Addo said.
“This is the first of its kind and I know once we are successful in this, we will look at its sustainability with the hospital to save more of the lives here.”
Head of Cardiology at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr. Abdul-Subulr Yakubu expressed gratitude to Arrhythmia Alliance Pace4Life and the team from the USA for the sponsorship and surgeries.
“Before this surgery, we lost four patients recently, because they could not afford the surgeries and so this intervention is life saving.
“The poverty levels here is serious and so interventions like these are highly recommended. This is why the hospital and the Cardiology Unit and our patients will forever be grateful to Pace4Life and the team led by Dr Addo.”
In all, three patients including a 94-year-old woman successfully went through the procedure.