Dormaahene commends Dr Oppong

The Omanhene of Dormaa Traditional Area, Osaagyefo Oseadeeye Agyemang Badu II, has commended the renowned Consultant Surgeon, Dr. C. J. Oppong, for his dedicated service to the Brong-Ahafo Region and the nation as a whole.

Dr. Oppong was last week honoured by the management and staff of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital for his meritorious service as a Consultant Surgeon to the hospital spanning close to thirty years.

In an exclusive interview with Space FM in Sunyani, Oseadeeye Agyemang Badu II disclosed that it gladens his heart to know that the consultant surgeon is from Dormaa Ahenkro and said the selfless services rendered by Dr Oppong would motivate the youth to faithfully serve the nation.

According to him, it is not easy for a doctor to come back to Ghana after years of education in the United Kingdom to work and sees the decision by Dr. Oppong to even serve the Brong-Ahafo region as very patriotic.

In a related development, the management of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital has named a theater at the hospital after Consultant Surgeon, Dr Oppong.

Commissioning the theater christened, “Oppong Theater”, Osaagyefo Oseadeeye Agyemang Badu II, appealed the hospital staff to put in place adequate measures to maintain the facility. He also commended the hospital authority for honouring Dr Oppong

Dr. C.J. Oppong completed his secondary education at Opoku Ware School in 1956. In the same year, he procceded to the UK where he obtained his 4 A levels in chemistry, physics, botany and Zoology in London.

He then got admission to the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Edinburg, Scotland.

He completed in 1996 with MB, ChB, AND worked for 3 years in various district hospitals in the UK.

In 1969, Mr. CJ Oppong returned to Ghana in response to MOH demands. Under the Health Service Regulations, he worked as General Medical Officer at Hohoe, Ho, and Ketekrachi- all in the Volta region. In 1973, he was admitted to the Surgical Post-Graduate Course at Korle-Bu. In 1977, having passed the primary Examination of the London fellowship, he returned to the Uk where he finally got his FRCS (Glasg.) in 1980.

In the same year, Dr. CJ Oppong returned to Ghana and worked as Surgical Specialist at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital until 1982.

In April 1982, Dr. CJ Oppong was officially posted to Sunyani as a surgical specialist and the Medical Superintendent/Director at the Sunyani Hospital, then usually referred to as “Government Hospital”.

Seeing that surgical patients were referred to the Government Hospital from all parts of the Brong-Ahafo region, Dr. CJ Oppong renamed the government hospital “REGIONAL HOSPITAL”, disregarding all naming formalities or regulations. As it turned out, in practice no complaints or queries came from higher authorities such as headquarters.

Dr. CJ Oppong started causing visible improvements in the wards, by repainting the OPD, replacing a non functioning air conditioner at the operating theatre, and reactivating the hospital morgue.

To secure what the hospital needed, he used to travel personally to Tema Medical Stores, with the store keeper, for the necessary procurements, and elsewhere for oxygen cylinders.

But Dr. CJ Oppong’s constant pre occupation was the persistent petitions to the minister to get the government to build a new regional hospital.

He did this with the Omanhene of the Sunyani traditional area, Nana Asor Nkrawiri II, who was then chairman of the hospital board.

Finally, it was announced in 1997 that 3 news regional hospitals were going to be built for Ho, Cape Coast and Sunyani.

Another event that kept Sunyani as a regional center was the Outreach programme in Urology started by Professor Quartey of Korle Bu under the persuasion of Dr CJ Oppong. Today, Sunyani has a full time Urologist and a permanent Urology Unit in the Surgery Department.

Dr Oppong’s loyalty to the regional hospital has never been questionable, and his friends at Korle Bu and elsewhere have always associated him with the name Brong-Ahafo regional Hospital. This seems a fair judgement especially from 1982 when he took charge to 1998 when he handed over after retirement.