Democratise medical knowledge - Dr Delle

Accra, March 11, GNA - A Consultant Dermatologist, Dr. Edmund Delle, President of RABITO Clinics on Saturday urged the medical council and other health practitioners to democratise or disseminate medical knowledge and research findings to the public.

"Hiding medical expertise, knowledge and understanding from the patients and public is the exhibition of professional dishonesty and punishing the people whose life we professed to save," Dr Delle told newsmen in Accra who undertook a day's study at the clinic to understand some basic medical practices to enhance media reportage of health issues. He urged medical practitioners to launch educational campaign to enlighten the public on healthy lifestyle, environmental and social effect of application of chemicals to the body.

Dr Delle emphasised the need for Journalists to understand and unmask the professional myth covering medical practices to enable them to report effectively on health issues.

On the prevention of skin cancer, Dr. Delle said in spite of new research findings that shed light on how the body protects itself from cancer, "the sun protection is still a key to skin cancer prevention." He said a study published by a team of Science researchers at the Texas University had detailed apoptosis; the body's recently identified line of defence against skin cancer.

He said damaging sunlight exposures might activate the body's natural defence mechanism and act to kill the cells with the irreparably damaged to the DNA that may otherwise become skin cancers. "These are exciting developments, but it is crucial that individuals do not rely solely on their natural defence mechanisms to prevent skin cancer."

The human body's defences have limits and cannot repair the entire DNA damage, stressing otherwise no one would ever die of skin cancer. Dr Delle said RABITO Clinics throughout the country had adopted measures to meet the total health needs of mankind irrespective of tribe, race or social status. "We have developed a well-trained and dedicated professional medical staff with an orientation towards providing total health care, create linkages between operating units and Ministry of Health for Community Health Care thus participating in the delivery of preventive health care programmes.

"Established a Foundation, which is currently being used as a vehicle to channel external resources into the development and support of effective delivery of general and dermatological services, especially in the deprived areas of the country." The Newsmen who toured RABITO Clinic at Osu, were educated on general medical care and emergencies, specialised care in diseases of the skin, hair, nails, sexually transmitted infections, anti-natal care and offering of support for people living with HIV/AIDS and victims of torture, which the centre provides. The Journalists were also educated on other services such as Dentistry, E. N. T, Neurology, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Obstetrics, Gynaecological treatment, and internal medicine. The Journalists were also shown laboratory practices, which include blood filming for malaria parasites, full blood count, skin scraping, skin snip-microfilaria, and fasting lipids. The Vice President of Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Affail Monney commended RABITO Clinic for exposing media practitioners to basic tenets of health practices. Mr. Monney called for collaboration to enhance health reporting, "we all aimed at serving the public, we need the information to tell the public...and health reporting should not only focus on strike actions, payment or non-payment of additional duty allowance." 11 March 06