The President of the Thyroid Federation International , Ashok Bhaseen has called on government to commit resources to creating awareness on thyroid related issues in the country, to help inform the general public on how to report to medical facilities on time to get adequate treatment and have normal lives.
The call comes on the back of the Thyroid Ghana Foundation celebrating 5 years of existence and the valuable impact it has had on the lives of patients who are diagnosed with medical conditions related to the thyroid gland.
Speaking at the event, Ashok Bhaseen indicated that due to the prevalence of the condition particularly on the African continent , governments and policy makers must take conscious decisions to invest in medical services and enhance awareness creation on the situation to get early detection and treatment.
” It is a good time to call on state and policy makers across the world including African governments to take conscious steps and efforts to create awareness on the thyroid condition, by engaging in massive public education and allocating significant resources to health authorities to help deal with the impact of the disease on patients and their ability to live normal and fulfilling lives.
It is worthy to note that only 3 countries in Africa are part of the International mother association, the Thyroid Federation International (47 member countries) which is woefully inadequate to drive advocacy across board to dispel the myths of the condition and encourage persons living with it to go and diagnose themselves in medical facilities to prevent the after effects of leaving the condition unattended to”.
Also, Ashok Bhaseen revealed that scientific studies and research has proven that women across the world stand a greater risk of contracting thyroid related medical conditions as opposed to their male counterparts ,with Africa recording a significant chunk of the globally reported cases .
He added that goitre is a condition which is very prevalent on the continent and was of the view that the situation can be minimised by making sure that good quantities of iodine is present in meals consumed by the general public.
” A lot of research and studies conducted by leading journals and medical professionals on the condition of thyroid related cases is highly prevalent in women globally as opposed to males .
Unfortunately, a related condition called goitre is still very common in countries across Africa and immediate and concrete steps of increasing iodine content in the preparation of meals will go a long way to reduce the frequent occurence of the condition”.
As part of its Corporate Social responsibility , the University of Ghana Medical Centre is providing a 50% rebate on all thyroid related surgical procedures in conjunction with the Founder of the Thyroid Ghana Foundation , Mrs Nana Adwoa Dsane to help alleviate the financial pressure on patients duly registered with the Foundation to get quality and wholistic healthcare services right here in Ghana.
Speaking in a media interaction on the sidelines of the event , the Founder of the Thyroid Ghana Foundation , Mrs Nana Adwoa Dsane was very pleased with the contributions of the University of Ghana Medical Centre’s strategic partnership with her outfit to make surgeries affordable to persons who are diagnosed with thyroid related medical conditions.
” I am really grateful to the UGMC for agreeing to partner with my noble foundation to help offset the cost of thyroid operations for patients who need the surgery urgently to get back to living normal lives.
The fee for the surgery hovers around Ghc11,500 and we must get government and other well meaning organizations to emulate the good gesture of the UGMC to level the playing field so that ordinary patients who cannot afford the surgeries can be helped to treat the condition and get back to living normal lives again”.
Mrs. Dsane established the Thyroid Ghana Foundation in 2018 following her battle with hyperthyroidism. The Foundation seeks to create awareness of the Thyroid disease in Ghana and bring affordable treatment to those affected by it. As part of its action plan, the Foundation seeks to establish a state-of-the-art health centre for the treatment and care of thyroid patients in Ghana and beyond.
