Ghana needs more Dermatologists
By Steve Kakrabah-Quarshie
Prof. Edmund N. Delle, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rabito Clinic Limited in Accra, has emphasised the need for Ghana to produce Dermatologists to help cure the many skin diseases that abound in the country. Describing the situation as tragedy, Prof. Delle said many people die of skin diseases in Ghana, advising that “people must take good care of their skins.”
He was speaking in an interview with The Catholic Standard on the recent Ghana Entrepreneurs Awards Hall of Fame, conferred on him by the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana, (EFG). This is the second time running that Prof. Delle has been honoured by the Foundation.
In 2014, he was honoured as the Health and Medical Services Entrepreneur of the Year.
Prof. Delle noted that though many people were ignorant of these diseases, some could be eliminated, urging people with any skin infections to report to hospitals. He asked people to wear clean clothes, “avoid spiritual misinformation about skin diseases and report to the hospitals for treatment.” The professor kicked against skin bleaching which he said was injurious to the body and urged women “to maintain their natural skin colours by using good soap and clean water.
He saw skin bleaching as a big problem in Ghana, but was hopeful that with education it could be reduced. Asked about his reaction to the two-time awards, Prof. Delle noted that “if you do good work, you are recognized and you feel happy,” stating that the awards would continue to motivate him to give of his best “to serve my kinsmen and the nation.”
About the commonest skin diseases in Ghana, Prof. Delle mentioned common bacterial infections, fungal infections, eczema or dermatitis, infection by animal parasites, and papulo-squamous (Scaly) eruptions. The rest are chronic bacterial infections (including leprosy), nutritional disorders, allergic disorders, viral infections and pigmentary disorders. With these awards as motivation he promises to focus more on his duty as people look to him to provide better health services.
He said two people; the late Peter Cardinal Dery and the late Prof. Calogero Rabito his Professor at Padua University influenced him in his medical studies and he therefore decided to name his Clinic after Rabito “as a sign of respect to him.”
Prof. Delle noted that his specialty in the field of dermatology has led to the increased patronage of his clinic, adding that people from other West African countries also attend his clinic.
Answering a question, Prof. Delle explained that though cost of medical treatment was high in Ghana, patients including those in the rural areas “go for treatment in all the 16 branches in the country.” According to him, qualified medical personnel manage the branches and hinted that expansion work would soon start at the main clinic in Accra to cater for the increasing number of patients.
He said he visits all the outstation clinics to encourage the workers there to do their best and maintain good relations with the patients.Prof. Delle stated that he had good relations with his workers which enables them to do their best since human lives are involved.
He said he was a founding member of the African Association of Dermatologists and served as Vice-President and Secretary General between 1991 and 1997 to press home the importance of dermatology in the continent.
Prof. Delle told The Catholic Standard that with support from the University of Pennsylvania in New York and the University of Padua in Italy, he would start the International Institute of Dermatology in Accra in September 2015 on pilot basis.
According to him, many of the lecturers for the institute would come from outside Ghana, adding that the new institution would produce dermatologists needed to handle skin diseases in Africa.
On his Motto “I medicate you and God cures you,” he explained that he and his workers believed “it is only God who cures all diseases and heals the sick.” He said the Motto “has a lot of spiritual effect on us in the discharge of our duties and gives us the patient needed for the work.”
The professor noted that as an Adjunct Professor of Dermatology at the University of Development Studies in Tamale, he was imparting his deep knowledge and rich experience in the subject to young medical trainees.
Born on November 18, 1943 at Nandom in the Upper West Region, Prof Delle is a member of many national and international organisations including membership of the British Association of Dermatologists and the International Commission for Health Professionals. He is also a member of the Ghana Society of Dermatologists and a Foundation Fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.
For 23 years, 1976-1999, Prof. Delle was the Chairman of Board of Directors of the Standard Newspapers and Magazines Ltd., publishers of The Catholic Standard.
He is a practicing Catholic.
Prof. Edmund N. Delle, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rabito Clinic Limited in Accra, has emphasised the need for Ghana to produce Dermatologists to help cure the many skin diseases that abound in the country. Describing the situation as tragedy, Prof. Delle said many people die of skin diseases in Ghana, advising that “people must take good care of their skins.”
He was speaking in an interview with The Catholic Standard on the recent Ghana Entrepreneurs Awards Hall of Fame, conferred on him by the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Ghana, (EFG). This is the second time running that Prof. Delle has been honoured by the Foundation.
In 2014, he was honoured as the Health and Medical Services Entrepreneur of the Year.
Prof. Delle noted that though many people were ignorant of these diseases, some could be eliminated, urging people with any skin infections to report to hospitals. He asked people to wear clean clothes, “avoid spiritual misinformation about skin diseases and report to the hospitals for treatment.” The professor kicked against skin bleaching which he said was injurious to the body and urged women “to maintain their natural skin colours by using good soap and clean water.
He saw skin bleaching as a big problem in Ghana, but was hopeful that with education it could be reduced. Asked about his reaction to the two-time awards, Prof. Delle noted that “if you do good work, you are recognized and you feel happy,” stating that the awards would continue to motivate him to give of his best “to serve my kinsmen and the nation.”
About the commonest skin diseases in Ghana, Prof. Delle mentioned common bacterial infections, fungal infections, eczema or dermatitis, infection by animal parasites, and papulo-squamous (Scaly) eruptions. The rest are chronic bacterial infections (including leprosy), nutritional disorders, allergic disorders, viral infections and pigmentary disorders. With these awards as motivation he promises to focus more on his duty as people look to him to provide better health services.
He said two people; the late Peter Cardinal Dery and the late Prof. Calogero Rabito his Professor at Padua University influenced him in his medical studies and he therefore decided to name his Clinic after Rabito “as a sign of respect to him.”
Prof. Delle noted that his specialty in the field of dermatology has led to the increased patronage of his clinic, adding that people from other West African countries also attend his clinic.
Answering a question, Prof. Delle explained that though cost of medical treatment was high in Ghana, patients including those in the rural areas “go for treatment in all the 16 branches in the country.” According to him, qualified medical personnel manage the branches and hinted that expansion work would soon start at the main clinic in Accra to cater for the increasing number of patients.
He said he visits all the outstation clinics to encourage the workers there to do their best and maintain good relations with the patients.Prof. Delle stated that he had good relations with his workers which enables them to do their best since human lives are involved.
He said he was a founding member of the African Association of Dermatologists and served as Vice-President and Secretary General between 1991 and 1997 to press home the importance of dermatology in the continent.
Prof. Delle told The Catholic Standard that with support from the University of Pennsylvania in New York and the University of Padua in Italy, he would start the International Institute of Dermatology in Accra in September 2015 on pilot basis.
According to him, many of the lecturers for the institute would come from outside Ghana, adding that the new institution would produce dermatologists needed to handle skin diseases in Africa.
On his Motto “I medicate you and God cures you,” he explained that he and his workers believed “it is only God who cures all diseases and heals the sick.” He said the Motto “has a lot of spiritual effect on us in the discharge of our duties and gives us the patient needed for the work.”
The professor noted that as an Adjunct Professor of Dermatology at the University of Development Studies in Tamale, he was imparting his deep knowledge and rich experience in the subject to young medical trainees.
Born on November 18, 1943 at Nandom in the Upper West Region, Prof Delle is a member of many national and international organisations including membership of the British Association of Dermatologists and the International Commission for Health Professionals. He is also a member of the Ghana Society of Dermatologists and a Foundation Fellow of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.
For 23 years, 1976-1999, Prof. Delle was the Chairman of Board of Directors of the Standard Newspapers and Magazines Ltd., publishers of The Catholic Standard.
He is a practicing Catholic.