80% burns recorded in Ghana are preventable – Dr. Ampomah

The Director of the Korle-Bu Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, Dr. Opoku Ampomah has indicated that 80% of burns recorded in the country are preventable.

According to him, many Ghanaians are careless and clueless, and does not prioritize personal safety hence the increase in burn cases recorded in homes and work places.

Speaking as the Guest Speaker of the maiden Burns Symposium to celebrate the World Burns Week organised by a Non-Governmental Agency, Beyond Burns International in Accra, Dr. Ampomah said the most common causes of burns in children in the country is hot water, hot soup and general hot substances.
This, he said expose the careless nature of caregivers and parents, the neglect of work safety protocols, and lack of personal safety.

Dr. Ampomah also laments the use of inferior electricity cables for wiring, careless handling of gas in various homes and eatery places by using stones to aid the cylinder from leaking, and lack of providing more entrances and windows to buildings.

“Many of our houses have become death traps because we failed to provide more than one entrance or more windows hence in a situation of fire outbreak or gas explosion people find it difficult to get out of such buildings leading to severe burns and eventually death,” he stated.

He revealed that at least over 300,000 deaths are reported annually and half of these case are involve with children a situation he called on Ghanaians to prioritize the safety of their children.

Speaking on the theme for the first World Burns Week in Ghana, ‘The Hidden Burden, Hidden Cost,’ he said, currently, the National Health Insurance Scheme is the only insurance scheme that cover cases in burns but added that, that one alone cannot bear cost of treatment and called on people to be circumspect.

He used the occasion to advise caregivers, parents and Ghanaians at large to always handle children with care when it comes to the kitchen and homes.

The Executive Director of Beyond Burns International, Mrs. Judith Cato Addison, who is a victim of burns said she was motivated by the plight of victims and the fact that treatment are very costly, some families ends up neglecting victims hence the establishment of the NGO to provide some help.

Apart from providing medical assistance, advocacy and awareness, support services, partnership and fundraising activities to support victims, Beyond Burns Intl also work directly with victims and caregivers by encouraging them never to give up and offering counselling sessions.

“Many victims at this stage if care is not taking will make wrong choices which will also add up to the already trauma they are going through hence the need for both care and counselling to be able to survive,” she stated.
Even though there are no national statistics, currently over 300,000 people die annually in Ghana. If you take 100 burn cases to the hospital, 21 of will not survive.

She therefore said no child must suffer from burns and appealed to all and sundry that “no one has the right to pure acid on another no matter the circumstance”.

Some of the victims expressed their heartfelt gratitude to doctors and nurses who work tirelessly to ensure they are humans again, the NGO for their support both in cash and kind and made passionate appeal to all Ghanaians to guide themselves against such unfortunate incident.

Source: Mymtcvonline.com || Frank Eshun