Stroke Identified as Major Cause of Death at Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua

Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA), popularly called stroke, was identified last year as the major cause of death at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua.

It was followed by hypertension, premature birth, pneumonia, heart failure, kidney disease, chronic liver cirrhosis, liver disease, septicemia, and asphyxia.

The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Arko Akoto-Ampaw, said the delay in patients reporting to the hospital had led to most of the fatalities.

He explained that in many cases, early reporting at the hospital for management could have saved the lives of the patients.

Dr. Akoto-Ampaw made this known at the hospital’s 2023 annual performance review meeting with the Eastern Regional press corps in Koforidua last Friday.

The event was themed: "Impact of the Implementation of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) on Healthcare Delivery - Achievements, Challenges, and the Way Forward".

Stroke

Stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked by a clot, bursts, or ruptures.

Symptoms include confusion, difficulty speaking and understanding speech, headache, possibly with altered consciousness or vomiting, numbness or an inability to move parts of the face, arm, or leg, particularly on one side of the body.

Vision also becomes difficult in one or both eyes, along with difficulty walking, including dizziness and a lack of coordination.

Vision The medical director said the hospital, established 1926 years ago with a vision of becoming a leading medical center of excellence in quality healthcare provision, had lived up to that vision.

Dr. Akoto-Ampaw said in 2023, the incidence of malaria topped the 10 major ailments reported at the hospital, followed by anemia, hypertension, pneumonia, premature birth, tonsillitis, diabetes mellitus, jaundice, and gastroenteritis.

He stated that the hospital had provided quality healthcare services for patients not only in the region but also in other parts of the country over the years.

He said despite the provision of quality healthcare services, the facility recorded 855 deaths, of which stroke accounted for 183 deaths.

He said in the previous year, the death rate had been lowered by 73, thus 782 deaths were registered, of which stroke again was the major killer with 157 deaths.

The Medical Director further told the gathering that non-communicable diseases had now taken the lead in causing deaths other than communicable diseases.

Dr. Akoto-Ampaw advised patients as well as relatives to always report medical cases to the hospital on time since that was the only panacea to prevent untimely deaths.

Dr. Akoto-Ampaw also appealed to residents in the region to consider constant medical check-ups as a duty.

"We don't need to get ill before we go for healthcare.

Run some tests, see how your sugar level is doing, blood pressure, check your weight," he said.

Greener pastures

Touching on the hospital's operational difficulties, he said although some of the medical staff such as doctors and nurses had been exiting the facility for greener pastures, that had not been a big challenge since those at post had been able to hold the fort.

On the hospital's future projects, Dr. Akoto-Ampaw emphasized that a new oxygen plant would be constructed while the physiotherapy building, main stores, and the pharmacy bungalow would all be rehabilitated.