Irish Student surgeons donate to Korle-Bu

Accra, June 17, GNA - Four Irish student surgeons on Thursday presented a cheque for 40 million cedis to help buy surgery equipment for the radiotherapy and nuclear medical centre of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

The students belonged to a charitable organisation called the Medical Overseas Volunteer Electives (MOVE) and they are fourth year medical students of the Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. They are on a four-week visit to the country to provide volunteer services in the areas of surgery.

Ms. Claire Donohoe, who presented the cheque on behalf of the organisation said the fund was solicited from medical students, civil society, private donors, supermarkets as well as medical students in Ireland to help provide quality health care in 13 African countries, including Ghana and Botswana.

She said the group arrived in the country three weeks ago and was assisting Ghanaian surgeons in the areas of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Accident, Radiotherapy Departments of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Receiving the cheque, Dr. Joel Yarney, Head of the National Centre for Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine of the hospital has called for support from individuals as well as corporate organisations for the Department so that it could purchase equipment and drugs for the treatment of cancer and the interpretation of other blood related diseases.

Dr. Yarney said the Centre could no longer look up to government alone for the supply and replacement of equipment and drugs.

"Drugs for the treatment of cancer and other blood related diseases are very expensive and some patients cannot afford.

"At the moment, we depend on subsidies from government, but we need to do more to save the lives of patients," he said. He said most of the equipment used for surgery at the Department were obsolete and needed to be replaced to ensure quality health care delivery.

Dr. Yarney thanked the students for the gesture.