He has also called on the public especially parents of adolescents not to underestimate sore-throats and stay at home to treat them with hot spices /condiments but seek proper antibiotic cover at health facilities to prevent heart problems in adulthood.
The consultant who expressed worry about the country’s transition from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases said the current surge in heart diseases, cancers and diabetes could be brought down drastically, if people minded what they ate, exercised more and reduced stress.
Dr. Owusu was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the sidelines of a media briefing on a collaborative heart surgeries by KATH cardiovascular team and a counterpart 10 member team from the Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute in Guangzhou, Republic of China.
About 15 patients – adult and children suffering from various heart diseases will benefit from the free procedures currently underway at KATH.
He said heart diseases, the treatment of which was very expensive topped the list of non-communicable health challenges, but these could be prevented through just a change of lifestyle to save precious lives and costs.
Dr Owusu said more heart patients are on medications whiles, the critical cases have been selected to undergo the surgeries which include, pace-maker implantation and other corrective heart surgeries in children born with heart defects.
Dr Baffour Awuah, Medical Director of the Hospital and an Oncologist, called on the public to eat more fruits vegetables and avoid eating fatty foods whiles also cutting their salt intake by half to stem cancers and other dangerous diseases.
Dr. Amoah Dankwa, a specialist in internal medicine advocated that all students in the senior high schools be given a month’s dose of “Penicillin V” tablets to take along to school as part of their first aid medicines like paracetamol to treat sore-throats as when they experience the symptoms.
GNA
