Kumasi, Sept 27, GNA – A one-stop Diabetes hub to enhance access to comprehensive, integrated and advance care, has been commissioned at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
The facility is the outcome of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) of the Danish Embassy in Ghana, Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare pharmaceutical company with specialty in Diabetes care, based in Denmark, the KATH and the PALB Pharmaceutical Company, a Ghanaian company giving support to Diabetes care.
Named ‘Diabetes Centre of Excellence’, the facility is the old KATH Diabetes centre which has been expanded, redesigned and refurbished with state of the art equipment to help upscale early and effective diagnosis, quality treatment and management of the non-communicable disease, to stem its growing incidence.
Speaking at an impressive ceremony to inaugurate the centre, Madam Tove Degnbol, Denmark Ambassador to Ghana, said the move was part of Nova Nordisk's Base of the Pyramid Project (BoP), which strives to raise access and standard of quality Diabetes care, as well as make affordable some critical medications such as insulin for sufferers in low or middle income countries.
“The Centre of Excellence will play a key role in Diabetes screening for new cases, treatment of complications, patient education for self-management, and raising the level of awareness,” she said.
Added to the KATH centre, she said other Diabetes Support facilities have been established under the same arrangement at the Manhyia and Suntreso Hospitals in Kumasi to boost the Centre's work.
All these fall in line with Novo Nordisks objectives to contribute to efforts at reducing the rising incidence of the non-communicable disease of which the International Diabetes Federation estimates that apart from those already diagnosed and receiving treatment, about 257,000 more people living in Ghana may have it and have remained undiagnosed, she said.
Mrs Abigail Chakava, Projects and Public Affairs Manager, Middle Africa Novo Nordisk, stressed that her outfit was committed to having strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders in the health sector to implement initiatives that improve the lives of all people living with Diabetes.
“We are pleased to witness this strong partnership which is an example of how we can build public private partnerships for health capacity and transfer of medical knowledge to improve the lives of the citizenry.
Mr Simon Osei Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, commended the Royal Danish Embassy, KATH and other allied partners for the gesture to help reduce the soaring incidence of Diabetes in the Country.
Dr Oheneba Owusu Danso, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, hailed the gesture and thanked Novo Nordisk and other collaborators, saying, the partnership was consistent with KATH's aspirations to be the centre of excellence in health and was upbeat that it would improve the health outcomes of the citizenry.
Nana Baffour Amankwatia 1V, Bantamahene, who chaired the function, called for healthy lifestyle changes to ensure the longevity of the citizenry.
GNA
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