6th African Heart Summit Opens

Published in the Daily Graphic on 18/01/10, pg 41

Story: Matilda Attram
Medical science has established that non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes remain the most threatening risk factors and commonest problems leading to cardiovascular diseases in Africa, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Defence, Mr Ofosu Appeah, has said.
Making reference to a World Health Organisation report, Mr Appeah said “cardiovascular disease has higher mortality in developing countries than in developed ones, and affects younger people and women disproportionately”.
He said the WHO report indicated that the incidence of cardiovascular disease in the sub-Saharan Africa could rise from 6.5million for men and 6.9 million for women in 2000 to 8.1 million and 7.9 million 2010 respectively”.
Mr Apea was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Sixth African Heart Summit organised by the 37 Military Hospital Post-graduate College in Accra last Saturday to create awareness of cardiovascular diseases in Ghana.
The topics being discussed included ‘Prevention of cardiovascular disease, Acquired aortic and mitral valve surgery, Congenital heart disease, Grown-up congenital heart disease (GUCH) and Surgical management.
Others were Intensive care, Imaging-CT and MRI, Long –Term follow-up of patients, Hands-on echocardiography and Capacity building in cardiovascular health building in Africa.
The four-day summit is expected to enhance the capacity of cardiovascular surgeons, cardiologists, physicians, nurses, cardiovascular physiologists and researchers in cardiovascular medicine in Science, Technology and Practice.
Mr Appeah said social disintegration and inequality, compounded by the deteriorating economy in many African countries hindered the response to non-communicable diseases associated with the heart.
He further stated that there was the need to develop more infrastructure needed to handle cardiac cases in Ghana, as well as institute a budget to support awareness creation of the disease, adding that “the need for a Cardiac Centre at the 37 Military Hospital has become imperative to train cardiac surgeons and cardiologists, who will manage the increasing cases of both adult and juvenile heart cases in the country”.
Mr Appeah appealed to international partners and participants to support and encourage the initiative to the benefit of Ghanaians and other African countries.
The co-ordinator of the 37 Military Hospital Postgraduate College, Lt Col Dr Sunny Mante, indicated that the 37 Military Hospital was a Level Four United Nations facility and received referrals from United Nations Level Three centres, as well as other hospitals in Ghana, but referred all its cardiac cases to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Cardio Thoracic Centre for surgery, since it lacked a centre for cardiac surgery.
He pointed out that a development of the cardiothoracic programme at the 37 Military Hospital would assist the surgical residents to prepare adequately for examinations after the course training.
A course Director from the German Heart Institute, Berlin in Germany, Professor Charles Yankah, in his address, explained that cardiovascular medicine and surgery were based on the development of new knowledge (science), continuing development of technical tools (technology) and implementation of knowledge.
He said cardiovascular science was developed in academic institutions whereas technology was practised in industries which generated technological innovations to support the know-how and practice in clinical setting such as patient care, treatment management, hospital and out-patient management, methodological design and implementation, teamwork and staff retention programme, technical procedures and maintenance.