(CSIR gives to Caridiothoracic centre)

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has presented a cheque for GH¢2,500 to the Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital as part of the activities marking the Golden Jubilee celebration of the establishment of the council.
Receiving the cheque, the Cardiothoracic Surgeon and President of the Ghana Heart Foundation, Professor Dr (MED) K Frimpong Boateng, said the centre needed more funds for the construction of a hospital block for children who suffered from heart related diseases.
He said the centre currently had wards for only adults and a smaller portion for children, and therefore, the construction of a children’s’ block would help the centre to treat children with heart diseases as well as attract patients from other countries to earn the centre some income.
Prof. Dr Frimpong Boateng advised Ghanaians to exercise regularly and also eat less fatty foods in order to avoid heart diseases explaining that the heart was a very sensitive organ which needed to be handled carefully.
He thanked the CSIR for the gesture and took the opportunity to appeal to the public to support the centre with funds in order to save more lives.
The Deputy Director of Nursing Service of the centre, Ms Rebecca Essilfie, explained that heart attack was one form of heart disease that had been greatly associated with high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
She said seven out of every 10 deaths from heart diseases were associated with high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
Ms Essilfie said that high cholesterol was a factor that increased one’s chances of getting heart disease.
She said people who smoked, had high blood pressure, diabetes and those with a family history of heart disease needed to lower their cholesterol in order to avoid heart diseases.
She advised the public to buy low fat or fat-free milk, cheese, butter and other dairy products. She further cautioned women to avoid cooking with a lot of oil particularly oils with high-fat.
She encouraged the public to cultivate the habit of reading food labels before buying foods particularly processed foods and that the public should exercise regularly in order to burn calories and fat.
The Senior Research Officer and President of the Southern Sector of the CSIR, Dr H R Dankwah, said the council had made it a responsibility to support the centre and that although it could not support the hospital fully, it was ready to help in its own small way.

Picture: The Cardiothoracic Surgeon and President of the Ghana Heart Foundation, Prof. Dr K Frimpong Boateng (left) receiving the cheque from the Senior Research Officer of the CSIR, Dr H R Dankwa (right), Looking on is the Marketing Officer of the CSIR, Mr Benjamin Addotey and the Deputy Director of Nursing Services Cardio Centre, Ms Rebecca Essilfie.