Accra, May 17, GNA - The Cuban government has again provided Ghana with 193 specialist doctors to supplement government's efforts in providing quality health care services to Ghanaians.

This is an increase of 138 in 2000 from an initial figure of 17 in 1982 when the Cuban government agreed to assist Ghana to improve health care delivery at the time of a serious exodus of doctors.

Dr Gladys Ashitey, Deputy Minister of Health, who said this at the opening of the eighth National Scientific Workshop of the Cuban Medical Brigade for the Friendship of Cuba and Ghana, said Ghana had requested additional 100 doctors to augment the current staff strength. The workshop will give the Cuban doctors, who are spread throughout the country and are working in the hard to reach communities, the opportunity to share with their colleagues and other stakeholders their research findings in 2006 with respect to various diseases that afflict people in the communities they work in.

Dr Ashitey noted with regret that where Ghanaian doctors refused to go and work, "Cuban doctors have come to the country and are working tirelessly to save lives and also undertake outreach programmes and provide in-door services in remote areas".

She commended them for their tireless efforts in assisting Ghana to provide quality health care.

"We also appreciate the Cuban government for the continuous expenditure of 60,000 dollars spent annually to train one Cuban doctor to supplement what Ghana is doing".

Dr. Lamech Abora Addo, a Cuban-trained Ghanaian doctor giving the results for the year 2006, said various diseases such as malaria, typhoid, malnutrition, anaemia, diarrhoea, non-communicable diseases, paediatric, surgery and obstetric and gynaecological cases were seen in all their various hospitals.

He said it was sad that some Ghanaian doctors did not regard the good efforts put in by the Cuban doctors and urged all to assist the Cuban doctors discharge their duties as required of them. Dr Barnabas Bamaaha Naa Gandau, another Cuban-trained Ghanaian doctor at the Tamale Hospital, giving the update of fistula cases in the three Northern regions said the Visco-Vagina Fistula (VVF), also known as Obstetric Fistula, was very common in those areas with about 300 cases being recorded annually.

He said it was a critical and important reproductive health problem that was affecting and killing women quietly.

Fistula, or tear, happens during an obstructed labour when the tissue between a woman's genitals and bladder and/or rectum is torn. This results in the continuous leaking of urine or faeces. He said Fistula occurred when the victims suffered prolonged and obstructed labour, which led to the injury of their pelvic tissue and ruptured bladder causing the urine and faeces to drip. Dr Gandau noted that though the condition was preventable and treatable, the bad smell associated with it drove many women to hide it without reporting to the hospital.

He called for assistance to put up a hostel for fistula patients and urged families not to shun their relatives when they had the disease.

Dr Kofi Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer who chaired the function, commended the Cuban doctors for their efforts and pledged the Ministry's support in ensuring that their stay was a success. 17 May 07