Nine hundred surgeries were cancelled by the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) in the first twelve weeks of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
The Head of the Department of Surgery at the TTH, Professor Stephen Tabiri, who disclosed this to gbcghanaonline, said uncertainty over the nature of the novel virus, caused some anxiety among hospital management and staff, compelling the hospital to suspend non-emergency surgeries including cancer surgeries.
He said some patients suffered as a result, but added that, there was nothing the hospital could do under the circumstances.
“If you cancel a cancer surgery, you finish everything, the patient is supposed to go for surgery and you cancel it, at the end of the twelve (12) weeks, the cancer has spread over the whole body and there is nothing you can do,” he explained.
Professor Tabiri has however assured the public that, the hospital is working to address the challenge.
“The management said okay, if you have cancer, and you are diagnosed, we should try and operate you.”
Story filed by Murtala Issah.