Korle-Bu CEO denies claims of breakdown of cancer machine

The Chief Executive Officer of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah has flatly disputed rumors that the hospital's only cancer treatment machine recently failed, leaving patients stranded.

Responding to these allegations, Dr. Ampomah stated that the hospital has multiple cancer treatment machines, not just one, and that just one of them encountered  broke down temporarily.

In an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV's The Point of View, Dr. Ampomah referred to the claims as a "misrepresentation," adding that KBTH had numerous machines to treat patients.

He added that the machine that broke down was the most advanced and user-friendly, yet it was fixed in a matter of days.

Dr. Ampomah informed the public that patients' treatments were not considerably disrupted, despite allegations that patients were turned away on Thursday, July 4, 2024, while oncologists repaired the equipment.

“That one is also a misrepresentation. We have a number of machines there. It’s like you have a Rolls Royce and a Toyota, you are using both. The Rolls Royce is used when you want to go and flex, so the Toyota is reliable, it always works. So, Toyota has been working, and there’s no issue with the Toyota.

“It’s not like you don’t have a car, so, that is what it was. So, the Rolls Royce broke down, that is the one that is more modern and kind of easier to handle and things like that [the machine]. But then it was fixed within a few days. But the story created the impression that is the only machine, this is the most advanced machine,” he explained.

He agreed that the beakdown of the machine usually delays the treatment process, but noted that it does not always prevent patients from receiving their scheduled sessions.

“What it does is that you have longer queues, but it doesn’t mean that patients are denied treatments. Tell me which organisation has not had a machine breakdown before. The radiotherapy machines are two. Because these machines are very expensive, they cost between $5 million to $10 million or probably more," he stated.

Source : Lead News Online