Directorates

Child Health

           Prof. Sampson Antwi

Bsc, MBChB, DPDM, FWACP, FGCP, Cert
of Nephrol (SA) Paed, IPNA Fellow,
Associate Professor, Consultant Paediatric
Nephrologist, Paediatric HIV and Malnutrition
Specialist.

INTRODUCTION:

The Directorate of Child Health of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital is a highly specialized unit that offers subspecialist care to its clients.

The directorate aims to become a paediatric and adolescent center of excellence with services comparable to international standards.

STRUCTURE:

Management team:

• Head of Directorate Prof Sampson Antwi.
• Lead Clinician: Dr Justice Sylverken
• Nurse Manager: Mrs Philomina Nyarko Saim
• Pharmacy Manager: Dr. Kwaku Gyamfi Oppong
• Business Manager: Evelyn Ankoma
• Accountant: Richard Bremfi

Past Heads of Departments

• Prof Albert Asafo-Agyei [1983-1993]
• Prof Benjamin Baffoe-Bonnie [1994-1998]
• Dr Charles Poku [1998-2000]
• Dr Theresah Rettig [2000-2002]
• Prof Emmanuel Addo-Yobo [2002-2004, 2006-2011, 2014-2018]
• Dr Gyikua Plange-Rhule [2004-2006]
• Prof Alex Osei-Akoto [2011-2013]
• Prof Sampson Antwi [2013-2014, 2018-date]

 

Key functions and service availability

The Directorate runs 24-hour specialist care.  It has an out-patient wing and six (6) in-patients wards.

The Directorate sees general paediatric cases and in addition has eleven (11) subspecialty units manned by well-trained Paediatric subspecialist. These are:

Neonatology, Paediatric Intensive Care, Paediatric Emergency unit, Paediatric Endocrinology unit, Paediatric Pulmonology unit, Paediatric Cardiology unit, Paediatric Haematology and Oncology unit, Paediatric Neurology unit, Paediatric nephrology unit, Paediatric Infectious disease unit, Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition unit.

Due to lack of space, the three (3) main wards share eight (8) of the subspecialty units together.

Ward C5 houses the cardiology, pulmonology and endocrine unit.

Ward B5 houses the Haematology/oncology unit and neurology.

Ward B4 houses the nephrology, infectious disease and gastroenterology/nutrition unit.

The other inpatient wards in the Directorate are:

• Mother and Baby Unit (MBU)
• Paediatric Emergency Unit (PEU)
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• Paediatric Intesive Care (PICU)

The out-patient clinics is located in CR 10 and CR 10 Annex and run from Monday to Friday on subspecialist clinic basis.

Monday clinics: cardiology, pulmonology including asthma, Endocrine and sickle cell disease.

Tuesday clinics: nephrology and neurology

Wednesday clinics: neonatology, HIV exposed children, and gastroenterology/nutrition, and Asthma clinics.

Thursday clinics: cardiology and Endocrine clinics

Friday clinics: neurology.

The infectious disease clinic is held separately at the chest clinic. It runs on  Mondays (Adolescents clinic), Tuesdays (Tuberculosis) and Fridays (Paediatric HIV).

The Directorate seeks to expand its subspecialty care to include paediatric dermatology, neurodevelopment, and Palliative Care.

TRAINING, RESEARCH AND OUTREACH

The Child Health Directorate has accreditation from both the West African College of Physicians and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons for the training of Medical Officers to become Specialist and Senior Specialist. It also trains medical, pharmacy and nursing students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and other private universities in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

The Directorate is deeply involved in many International Collaborative Research studies.

Some land mark research studies in the past are:

• The Severe Malaria in African Children (SMAC)
• The malarial Genetic Epidemiology study (MALGEN)
• The WHO sponsored Amoxycillin Penicillin Pneumonia in Children Study (APPIS)
• The Artesunate versus Quinine Malaria Trial (AQUAMAT)
• RTS Malarial candidate vaccine study
• AFRO meningitis surveillance study ONGOING
• Rota virus surveillance study
• Paediatric HIV Disclosure Intervention Study
• Pharmacokinetics of anti-tuberculosis and antiretroviral drugs in children

Currently, the following studies are on-going in the Directorate:

1. Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care Study. Site PI: Dr Gyikua Plange-Rhule
2. Pharmacokinetics of anti-tuberculosis and antiretroviral drugs in children-Phase 2. Site PI: Prof Sampson Antwi
3. Congenital Rubella Surveillance Study. Site PI: Prof Addo-Yobo

The Directorate has a well refurbished Research Office to house its numerous research activities.

Besides its core business of offering care to sick children, the Directorate embarks on several community and Outreach services in Ashanti region and beyond. These services include public education and screening for diseases, scientific training for other health personnel, celebration of international days designated by World Health Organization and United Nations.

The Directorate has robust plans to develop its human resource along the subspecialty areas. To this end, several doctors and nurses have been supported to undergo training in critical areas abroad.

The directorate has a developmental plan with the African Paediatric Fellowship Programme in Cape Town, South Africa where several of its subspecialists have trained and continues to train.

 

 

COLLABORATORS

University Of Utah

Over the years, the Directorate has had strong international collaboration with the Paediatric Division of University of UTAH, USA. The Directorate has held its paediatric conference with its counterpart from UTAH over the years. The Directorate has had three of its Specialists undergone Fellowship attachment at UTAH.

Boston Paediatric Cardiac Team

The Child Health Directorate also receives international cardiac outreach support on regular basis from the paediatric cardiac surgery team from Boston, USA

African Paediatric Fellowship Programme

Through this program in Cape Town, South African, a number of doctors and nurses have been trained in subspecialties in the directorate.

Scientific Programs

Annual Paediatric Conference

The Directorate’s annual scientific programme titled The Annual Paediatric Conference has been held since 2002. The programme is organized for district doctors, private health practitioners, Physician Assistants and Nurses in pressing and critical paediatric issues.

Individual subspecialist units in the Child Health Directorate organize Continuous Professional Development programs each year.

Contact:

Email: Childhealth@kathhsp.org

Tel: KATH ext.    

UPCOMING SCIENTIFIC EVENTS FOR 2019

(NOTE, Not part of profile, can go to upcoming events for the main wedsite)

1. Paediatric conference 2019. Theme: Respiratory Diseases in Children: Save our breath

Date: 7-10^th May 2019

Venue:

2. Seminar on Kidney Disease in Children

Date: 29^th March 2019

Venue: A&E Disaster Block, KATH

3. Role of Nurses in the management of sickle cell disease

Date: March 2019

4. PAEDIATRIC EPILEPSY TRAINING (PET 1)

Date: 7^TH MAY, 2019

5. GCPS / WACP REVISION COURSE

Date: 24 – 28^TH JUNE, 2019

6. GHANA SEPSIS SYMPOSIUM

Date: 13^TH SEPTEMBER, 2019

7. ETHICS AND PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE FOR NEW AND EXPERIENCED CLINICIANS

Date: NOVEMBER

8. PAEDIATRIC POINT OF CARE ULTRASOUND

Date: To be announced

9. TRACHEOSTOMY CARE SYMPOSIUM

Date: To be announced.