The National Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has honoured its founder, Prof Dr. Dr. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, with a bust of honour at its 35th anniversary celebration.
The honour was to appreciate the dedication and role Prof Frimpong-Boateng played in establishing the centre and the years of service to the centre.
Speaking at the launch, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng noted that although his journey in building the Centre had been for the betterment of the community and Ghana, no institution was willing to help him at the time of putting up the structure.
He said he had to go through the Ministry of Health, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital but they were all unwilling to help, either due to lack of understanding of his vision or they did not believe in it.
He stated his vision was for the National Cardiothoracic Centre to be a referral centre that is equipped with qualified and dedicated personnel with top-notch medical equipment to serve patients.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng said looking back, it was a difficult journey and few people appreciated the idea at the time.
He also disclosed that he funded the start of the project from his pocket but he is now happy that it has become a successful medical centre.
As part of his presentation, he went further to show some pictures of his journey as medical professional, the evolution of the Centre and some of the people he worked with at the start of the Centre.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng in ending his speech made a statement that “Great institutions are difficult to build but easy to destroy and impossible to restore.”
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Health, Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye said he had long admired the pioneering role the Prof Frimpong-Boateng played in the establishment of the National Cardiothoracic Centre.
He said he was very proud of the special cadres of staff who provide high quality care at the centre, adding that “as a ministry, it is our plan to support the Cardio Centre as much as possible to enhance the work it does.”
The Minister who was represented by a special advisor , Dr Darius Osei, said that the work of the centre also aligns with the plan of the Ministry to promote health tourism in the country and the ministry is aware that a sizeable number of foreigners seek treatment at the centre.
He said in the coming days, the ministry will be actively engaging the centre on how to deepen medical tourism in the country.
In a solidarity message, the Board Chairman of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. David Nkansa-Dwamena said the National Cardiothoracic Centre was a Centre of excellence, adding that it was imperative that the high standard centre is known for is upheld.
He also he congratulated the founding father, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, and all those who helped to ensure that the Centre maintained its excellence today and for the future.
The CEO of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah said it takes sacrifice to make big things happen.
He said he believes that when Prof. Frimpong-Boateng is no more here, he will be remembered for the fact that he fought for the lands of the hospital, “and now they can build many infrastructural projects in the hospital.”
Mr. Alex Segbefia speaking on behalf of the Former President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, stated that he was honored to have been called upon to speak at the 35 years anniversary of the centre.
He further stated that for good things to happen, it usually goes through lots of difficulty before becoming successful.
He added that Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s presentation was an education on how to be successful and a demonstration of tenacity, perseverance and pure sacrifice and saluted him for his efforts.
Mr. Segbefia ended by advising those present to stay true to themselves in the face of difficulty as Prof. Frimpong Boateng had and that such consistency would always be rewarded in this life and the next.
The Director of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, Dr Kow Entsua-Mensah, more than 13,000 surgeries have been performed and saved the country more than $70 billion if all the surgeries were to be done abroad.
He disclosed the centre has also trained 9 Ghanaian Cardiothoracic surgeons and 15 for Nigeria.
