Early beginnings In October 1970, Dr Tamaklo was released from the Army and he set out to transform his dream into reality. He founded the Nyaho Clinic in March 1970 and began operations in November 1970 at Rangoon Link as the first private group medical practice in Ghana. During the construction at the current site at the Airport Residential Area, a number of key people, notably, the late Mr R. S. Amegashie and Mr Geoff Holder, the then Managing Director of Barclays Bank, helped with the feasibility. Nyaho Medical Centre serves approximately 7,000 patients a month and consists of both in-patient and out-patient facilities. The centre also offers round-the-clock 24-hour pharmaceutical, diagnostic and paramedical services and provides the latest in medical technology including high resolution CT, digital X-ray, ECG and 4D ultrasound. With the passing away of Dr Tamaklo on November 1, 2001, the management of Nyaho Medical Centre was taken up by Mrs Janet Aba Tamaklo, his wife and the Executive Director. For almost 15 years, Mrs Tamaklo has seen the expansion of the centre to incorporate CT services, ambulance services, 24-hour laboratory and radiology services and comprehensive pharmacy. Dr Elikem Christian Tamaklo became Managing Director of Nyaho Medical Centre in March 2015 and has rapidly started transitioning the centre to tackle the challenges of providing quality healthcare services in a rapidly evolving global healthcare sector. He has already implemented a new Hospital Information System, integrating all services onto a single digital platform to facilitate easy access to patient data to inform decision making at an individual and macro level.

In 1939, a six-year-old boy developed a severe infection on his right leg. Despite many treatments, it did not improve and in the latter part of 1940, he was taken to a French surgeon posted to Lome Hospital who operated on his leg on three occasions without anaesthesia. He was healed after this and this boy became committed to pursuing a career in medicine.

The young boy, Kwami Nyaho Tamaklo went on to study medicine in Trinity College, Dublin, in 1951 and worked as a qualified doctor in England until his return in 1960 when he was seconded to the Ghana Armed Forces.

While still a medical student, Dr Kwami Nyaho Tamaklo nurtured a dream to build a healthcare institution that was comparable to hospitals internationally. Inspired by the story of the Mayo Brothers, his dream was to establish a first-class medical centre much in the style of the renowned Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, U.S. – the first and largest integrated not-for-profit medical group practice in the world.

He had a vision to give the best in medical care in Ghana and outside and he committed his life to developing a system with intense focus on patient care while bringing the best of international standards to Ghana.

Nyaho Clinic started with seven specialists and one general practitioner, but today, the facility boasts 40 different specialists ranging from Obstetrics/Gynaecology to Paediatrics and 12 General Practitioners with a client base which covers the whole spectrum of the Ghanaian society and includes individuals, corporate clients, insurance companies, embassies, government bodies and other prominent institutions.

Nyaho’s system of practising medical care attracts specialists in every medical and surgical field who use their skills efficiently and work cooperatively in a team approach to patient care. This team approach is the key to Nyaho’s success.

The clinic, over the years was changed to the Nyaho Medical Centre. Sacrifices

Dr Tamaklo sacrificed a lot to see that the clinic had good diagnostic equipment. In 1965, he sold his house at Airport Residential Area to acquire x-ray and laboratory equipment to set up a medical store.

It was partnerships with institutions such as Barclays Bank in 1971, Standard Chartered Bank in 1988, Ghana Leasing Company in 1993 and several countless institutions and individuals that have enabled the centre to continue providing quality services to this day.

Services

Major surgery such as thyroidectomy, cholecystectomy and gastrectomy are routinely performed at the centre and there is an active surgical presence in the field of Orthopaedics, Urology, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Opthalmology, as well as other specialist surgeries such as paediatric and plastic surgery. Medical specialties include Paediatrics, Endocrinology, Dermatology, and Cardiology.

Succession

She developed the Nyaho Way, the behaviours which the staff aspire to which has enabled the centre to continue its patient-centric mission. This year, Mrs Tamaklo stepped down from the executive management of the centre while remaining the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Inspiring the future

Having trained as a medical doctor in St. George’s, University of London, UK, Dr Elikem C. Tamaklo led the centre through a strategic revisioning in 2014.

He says, ‘We are privileged to be standing on the foundation of those who have been the forerunners of healthcare delivery in Ghana, and we owe it to every Ghanaian that their sacrifices and their service would not be in vain. Every Ghanaian deserves good quality care, and it is for us to ensure that this happens.’

According to Dr Elikem Tamaklo, in celebrating 45 years of patient-centred service, Nyaho Medical Centre is set on four main goals.

These are to put the person and family at the centre of care in all settings; to improve the delivery system in order to promote effective, equitable, quality care; to ensure patient safety; and to grow and integrate.

Additionally, the centre has this year invested in a new technology to assist in accurate and timely diagnosis. A new 16-slice GE Brivo CT Scan delivers lower-radiation dose emissions for the patient’s safety while giving high quality, precise images for diagnosis. A new C-arm machine will revolutionise the surgical department and ensure even better accuracy with imaging during surgical procedures. All of this will be connected through the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) which will enable doctors to view X-ray, Ultrasound and CT images on the computer in the consulting room for better healthcare information and advice for patients.

Daily Graphic:

Written by Rosemary N.K. Ardayfio. Rosemary.ardayfio@graphic.com.gh

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