Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Archbishop of Accra Diocese, has donated an Ultrasound machine to the St. Andrew Clinic, Kordiabe.
The Ultrasound machine was part of a diplomatic donation of medical equipment from the Terumo Corporation of Japan made to the office of the CATHOLIC BISHOP OF ACCRA, and the Ministry of Health, for the use in Catholic Mission Hospitals in Accra Archdiocese and its suffragan Dioceses of Koforidua, Donkorkrom, Keta – Ho, Akatsi and Jasikan.
Ultrasound is a type of imaging. It uses high-frequency sound waves to look at organs and structures inside the body. Health care professionals use it to view the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, liver, and other organs. During pregnancy, doctors use ultrasound to view the fetus. Unlike x-rays, ultrasound does not expose you to radiation.
Presenting the machine to the In-charge of the St. Andrew Clinic at the National Catholic Secretariat, the Archbishop mentioned that he only facilitated the delivery of the medical equipment to the clinics and hospitals as a result of his commitment to ensuring that the facilities within his Archdiocese are properly tooled to deliver the best of care to their patients.
He mentioned that the donation was made possible by Ghana’s Ambassador to Japan, S.J.K. Parker-Allotey, a Catholic and personal friend to him.
The Archbishop praised the St Andrew Clinic for its commitment to excellence in healthcare delivery and selfless service to the deprived. He reiterated the need for good maintenance of the machine to serve its purpose.
Describing the machine, Dr Adu-Gyamfi Raphael of the Directorate of Health, said “This machine is estimated to cost $12,000 and has both abdominal and vaginal probes. It can be used to take abdominal and pelvic scans and also has the ability to do doppler scans, that assess the presence of clots and other pathologies in blood vessels. One unique feature of this machine is its ability to be used for echocardiographic examinations, which assess the functions of various parts of the heart”.
Dr. Adu – Gyamfi also mentioned that the presence of the machine in the facility will help improve maternal care through its use in providing antenatal care services. It will also help reduce maternal mortality due to bleeding conditions such as ruptured ectopic pregnancies, placental previa and placental abruption, by picking them up for early intervention.
Rev. Sr. Viji Nedomattahil, the Administrator In-charge of the St. Andrew Clinic, was thankful for the gesture and pledged the commitment of her team to ensure the machine is well maintained.
Other items received for distribution to other facilities included Electric Blood Pressure machines, Electric Thermometers and Surgical Masks.
Present at the presentation were Secretary General of the National Catholic Secretariat, Very Rev. Fr. Lazarus Anondee, Assistant Secretary General, Rev. Fr. Wisdom Larweh, the Senior Coordinator for Monitoring and Evaluation at the Directorate of Health, Mr. Ivan Essegbey, Senior Coordinator for Health Systems and Management, Mr. Lawrence Adjare, Deputy Coordinator, Clinical and Institutional Care, Ms Roberta Asiedu and Deputy Coordinator – Projects, Mr. Gabriel Nii Otu Ankrah.