Accra hospital helping children beat cancer

About a year ago, two-year-old Ida Dinezuma fell seriously ill. Her mother Alice Dzare took her to the St. Joseph’s Hospital, the main health facility in her local town of Jirapa, about 750kms from the Ghanaian capital Accra.

Ida was then referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital and eventually to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. She was diagnosed with a Wilms’ Tumor, a common type of childhood kidney cancer, and has since responded well to treatment at the paediatric oncology unit.

“We started treatment last year in May and I must say her health has improved so much. The doctors and nurses have really been helpful, and I am grateful to them,” says Dzare.

10-year-old James Baawua lived with his mother in Assin Fosu, a town in the Central Region of Ghana. When his grandmother Naomi came for one of her regular visits, she realised her grandson was seriously sick and decided to take him to the Suhum Government Hospital. He was then referred to the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua. But his condition continued to deteriorate and he was eventually referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). He has now been on chemotherapy for three months.

“His condition has greatly improved. I am happy about that,” says Naomi Otua, James’ grandmother.

10-year-old Godfred Etse was admitted to Korle-Bu in March this year, where he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). He has now been on treatment for the past four months.

“By the grace of God and the dedication of the medical team, I can say his condition has improved vastly. He is able to play with his friends like he used to and I am really happy about that," says Mavis Akplaga, Godfred's mother.

Two-year-old Melvin Addo was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at Korle-Bu early this year and has since been on chemotherapy.

“There’s been a tremendous improvement in his health since we started chemotherapy. Despite his condition, he is still active and plays a lot,” says Winifred Santa, Melvin’s Mother.

Roger Ahiable is the pharmacist-in-charge at the unit and is responsible for preparing and checking the chemotherapy doses to be administered to patients.

“No child deserves to die of cancer. We must all play our parts. We positively impact the future by helping these children now,” he says.

11-year old Precious Amani was diagnosed with a Wilms’ Tumor but has fully recovered after undergoing years of chemotherapy. She ended her treatment four years ago after she was declared cancer-free. She has since returned to school.

“I was excited when I was told I’m cancer-free. I want to become a medical doctor in future, so I can also help children who go through what I went through,” she says.

“My motivation comes from the fact that childhood cancers are curable when detected early enough,” says Professor Lorna Awo Renner, Head of the Paediatric Oncology Unit at Korle-Bu, where she has worked for the past 21 years. “These children can still go on to lead full lives. I see it happen all the time.”

Ghana is among the six countries selected to receive support from the World Health Organization’s Global Initiative for Childhood Cancers (GICC) that was launched in 2018. One of the major strategic GICC partners is the United States-based St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, whose financial support has helped improve childhood cancer care in Ghana, Senegal and Zambia – the first African countries to receive GICC support.