Duffuor re-launches heart campaign

Accra (Greater Accra) 19 May ?99

Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Ghana Heart Foundation (GHF), on Tuesday night re-launched the fund-raising campaign for the Heart Fund saying they failed to meet the target for last year.

"This year the target remains unchanged at 2.4 billion cedis and I appeal to the general public to contribute only 200 cedis a month to enable us meet the target," he said at a press conference.

If the target is achieved about 200 needy, patients will have heart surgery free of charge within the year.

Dr. Duffuor said the Heart Fund (HF) is not in the position to bear the full cost of operations for needy people since donations are far below expectation.

He noted that last year only 7,500 out of the expected one million individuals and a number of corporate bodies donated 861 million cedis out of the expected 2.4 billion cedis into the fund.

Dr. Duffuor, who is also the Governor of the Central Bank, said between January and May this year, only 320 million cedis had been donated by individuals and corporate bodies.

This, he said, is a little above one-third of the expected amount needed.

Dr. Duffuor explained that the promise of the NCC to offer free operation was based on the premise of its appeal for one million Ghanaians to donate 200 cedis each every month. This would have amounted to 200 million cedis a month and 2.4 billion cedis a year.

He said due to inadequate funds, 117 million cedis was used to sponsor only up to 50 per cent of the cost of operation for 31 needy persons last year.

Some individuals, organisations and Churches have threatened to stop donating to the fund because the GHF could not fully bear the cost of operation of their members and workers.

"We should not expect that as soon as one puts 200 cedis into the fund then the GHF is obliged to pay for the full cost of heart surgery for the donor in need."

Dr. Duffuor assured the public that members of the board of the trustees would exploit other sources of revenue and make use of the health insurance scheme that the government would soon launch.

Dr. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Head of the NCC, said despite inadequate funds, only five patients died after being diagnosed last year.

He dismissed rumours that donations meant for operations are used in furnishing the NCC, saying that the centre does not account to the administration of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital "thus we use the revenue we generate to develop the centre."

Dr. Frimpong-Boateng noted that heart and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) account for about 12 million deaths globally every year, saying about six million people die of CVDs in the developing world alone.

Records at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital confirm this trend, he said adding that currently more deaths occur through CVDs than through infectious diseases.

"The World Health Organisation has therefore declared CVDs as the number one public enemy and an emerging epidemic".

He noted that while governments of developing nations are committed to promoting other emerging sectors of their economies, they give very little attention to the emerging epidemic.

Dr. Frimpong-Boateng therefore called on the government to commit more money to train experts and to educate the public against CVDs "if we are to change the current trend."