New phase for reconstructive plastic surgery, and burns treatment in Ghana

It is tiring to be enveloped inside pockets and cycles of negative news. The narrative of Ghana must change to the positive. One such positive stories is the completion of the National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The Centre was first commissioned on 28^thof May, 1997, re-commissioned in 2009, and finally re-commissioned this week as a completed facility on December 5, 2018. The story of multiple commissioning of the Centre highlights the political lies embedded in our national narratives.

So this Centre has been a long time coming, 21 years afterwards. The project spanned several political administrations. But the good news is that finally, Ghana has a state-of-the-art facility for reconstructive surgeries and the treatment of burns.

A GAME-CHANGING FACILITY

There are many reasons to be excited about the news of the completion of the reconstructive plastic surgery and burns centre. Incidents of burns cases abound in Ghana. There are also several cases of deformities and disabilities caused by birth defects such as cleft lips/palates and Siamese twin; accidents and diseases such as Buruli Ulcers and cancers; as well as terrible traumatic and disfiguring injuries,assaults and burns. All these conditions can be treated with reconstructive surgery.

For a national bonus, this is the only facility of its kind in the entire sub-region, positioning it to become a major destination for medical tourism in our West African neighbourhood.

On a personal level, everyone (young and old, rich and poor, literate and non-literate) is at risk of becoming deformed from one situation or the other. A freak accident from a mere fall on a very ordinary day, or an angry person assaulting you could result in the damage of your nose, which will deform your face. If that happens, you will need reconstructive surgery to fix you up.

The people who do not get the privilege for their deformities to be fixed up live their lives under stiff and inhuman stigma. When you deconstruct stigma, it comes down to being shamed, dishonoured and disgraced by society to the point that a person’s ability to function as a normal human being is compromised. You will be stared at as if you are not human; it will cause you to become depressed and lesser than normal.Without reconstructive surgical assistance, some hundreds of thousands of our citizens would live with their deformities and stigma.The completion of this Centre is therefore a game-changer.

Fact: as a country, we do have lots of potential to move to the next level as a middle-income country. We have individuals who have international-level expertise both within Ghana and in the diaspora. The completed reconstructive plastic surgery and burns Centre can save many of our citizens from debilitating conditions so they can live fuller lives. People who have been in hiding in villages and homes in misery owing to conditions that can be fixed and of unneeded stigma, will be rescued from the funk of underdevelopment to live in dignity. Everyone deserves to live in dignity! Ghana must rise!

Since photographs potentially tell much more than words, take a good look at the photographs on this page and marvel! All these types of surgeries were performed at the Centre, even when it had challenges with infrastructure. So from this point onwards, the sky is truly the limit for the Centre.

dorisdartey@gmail.com