Agroyesum spends 28 million cedis monthly on Buruli Ulcer

Manso-Agroyesum (Ash), Feb 28, GNA-The Saint Martin's Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum in the Amansie West district of Ashanti spends about 28 million cedis every month on Buruli Ulcer patients. Dr Samuel Nyarko Etuaful, the Medical Superintendent in-charge of the hospital who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency, said currently government owed the hospital 140 million cedis for the treatment of the disease.

Taking the GNA round the hospital at the weekend, Dr Etuaful said out of the 1,340 major and minor cases dealt with at the hospital, 64 per cent of them were Buruli Ulcer related diseases. He said of the 120 beds at the hospital, Buruli ulcer related patients occupied about 80 per cent. Dr Etuaful commended the government for the decision to provide free delivery service to all pregnant women and expressed the hope that it does not delay in the reimbursement as it was happening in the case of Buruli ulcer and antenatal exemptions. He said the completion of the 2.7 billion cedis theatre and fully equipped by ANESVAD of Spain had enabled the Ministry of Health and the National Buruli Ulcer Control Programme to designate the hospital as a training centre for the management of buruli ulcer.

Dr Etuaful said last year, over 40 doctors and nurses from buruli ulcer endemic areas were trained at the hospital and expressed gratitude to the government for introducing incentives for health personnel in the deprived areas, describing it as laudable but said it should be extended to all categories of health workers. Feb. 28 05