Government to build radiotherapy centre

Government is to build a Radiotherapy centre at Tamale to cater for the treatment of cancer as well as meet other health needs of people in the Northern Zone of the country.

The construction will bring to three the number of Radiotherapy centres in the country. Already, there is a Radiotherapy and Nuclear medicine centre at Korle Bu, which in addition to the treatment of various types of cancers also provides diagnostic services in the health sector.

A second one at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi will be commissioned by the end of August this year. Professor Dominic Fobih, the outgoing Minister of Environment and Science announced this at the meet the press series in Accra on Tuesday.

He said the radiotherapy facility was accessible to the poor since the minimum cost of breast cancer treatment is two million cedis compared to 15,000 dollars for the same kind of treatment in the United States of America, thus saving a lot of money.

Prof Fobih disclosed that the Ministry of Environment and Science through Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research had developed a technology for the production of microbial pesticide for the control of Malaria and Schistosomaisis (Bilharzia) vectors.

He said Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for the control of insect pest was used together with impregnated screens and target technology to suppress about 80 per cent of tsetse fly population in 11 communities in Savelugu-Nanton District.

The Minister said in collaboration with the Noguchi Memorial Institute a simple, cheap and more sensitive diagnostic process was developed for Tuberculosis. "The early detection of TB will lead to a better cure," he added.

He said over 60 tonnes of medical products, including gauze, cotton wool, and disposable syringes were sterilized using gamma radiation for local industries. He said the gamma radiation method, which is cost effective made the industries more competitive on the global market. He said radiation workers in the health, industry, research and teaching were monitored to ensure that they were not harmed by their operations.