Sweden to offer Ghanaians care in cancer treatment

Dr Thomas Pollare, Chief Executive Officer of Sweden-Ghana Medical Centre (SGMC), on Monday said, the body is committed to offer cancer care services to Ghana and West Africa, using the state-of-the-art techniques and methods.

SGMC runs a comprehensive cancer care facility, which aim at developing a centre of excellence for various cancer care modalities, adding: “A Medical Advisory Board has been founded with internationally well respected doctors in collaboration with a local medical team.”

Dr Pollare was speaking at a press briefing, after a tour of the facility at the centre at Nma Djor a suburb of Accra in the Adenta Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.

The centre operates basic cancer care unit, which includes Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computerize Tomography Scan as well as Consultation and advice to cancer patients.

Dr Pollare said the objective was initiated at the instance of Scandinavian Care Project AB, based in Stockholm, and financed by Global Medical Investment, owned by Swedfund and Elekta and some Ghanaian Investors; and establish in 2007.

He said the SGMC was faced with challenges of Human resource and the bad nature of the road network leading to the center.

Dr Pollare said, the major challenge was the possibility of having full time Ghanaian Medical Engineers, Radiographers and Radio-Oncologist to assist the facility.

“What has been done so far is collaboration with both local and foreign personnel for the needed support.”

Dr Pollare said, the SGMC has future plans of adding more advanced radiotherapy, basic diagnostic equipment, Intensity modulated radiotherapy, bigger ultra modern Chemotherapy Suit and a 50 bed hospital; and at a later stage a patient hotel.

He said the SGMC needed the support of Ghanaians, especially the media, to carry the message of good health across the country and the West African sub-region.

“It is our hope that Ghanaians and other neighbouring countries will give us the needed support to give them the best health care.”

Cancer is a class of diseases characterised by out-of-control cell growth, and has over one thousand different types, with each classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.

It is characterised by a cluster of millions of cells forming a tumour. Apart from the uncontrolled cell growth, cancer has the capacity to invade surrounding tissues and spread to other organs.**