Cardio experts from the Guangdong Academy of Medical Science's Cardio Institute have wrapped up their second medical mission to Ghana to offer treatment to patients with severe conditions.

The team, with support from local counterparts, performed successful surgeries on four patients and implanted pacemakers on five others at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana's second biggest city.

The 15-member team carried out successful surgeries for ten cardiac patients at KATH during its first visit to Africa in December, last year.

The Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Dr. Joseph Akpaloo, thanked the Chinese team for its continued assistance to the hospital which, he said, aimed to have a longstanding relationship with the Chinese side.

"So, we thank the Chinese Government for allowing them to come and for helping them to do everything and we hope that the collaboration will continue from time to time," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"You can see that there are complicated cases which they have never seen at their place because late reporting to hospital has led to complications. But thank God there hasn't been any deaths so far though before operation they thought things would be difficult," he said.

The Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute is to set up a cardio risk research centre at the KATH which is the nation's second referral facility to support the treatment of heart diseases.

The research will help to identify risk factors of heart or blood vessel diseases in communities and provide timely support and treatment systems, according to Dr Isaac Kofi Owusu, a consultant cardiologist at the hospital.

He said the centre would help identify the actual causes, risk factors and come out with appropriate strategies to address some of them.

The Chinese team also donated medical consumables, cardio medication and equipment valued at $200,000 to the Cardio Unit of KATH.

The Chinese side has pledged to bring advanced technical know-how to Ghana and help train more local staff to carry out surgeries.

(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2016)