K'bu to begin DNA tests Oct.

Page 3: Daily Graphic. August 26, 2009.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Korle Bu Teaching Hospital will begin conducting human identification (DNA) tests from October, this year.
That will make Ghana the second after South Africa to have the capacity to carry out DNA tests on the continent.
The 178,000 euro molecular biology laboratory for the DNA chromosomal analysis is expected to be operational in three weeks time to be manned by one of only two Ghanaian qualified and licensed biomedical scientists, Mr Augustine E. Sagoe. The other Ghanaian is in South Africa, where he has been practising since he was licensed six years ago.
There are already 46 requests from the High Court to determine certain cases including paternity, even before the laboratory becomes operational.
The facility could also be used for infidelity testing, DNA shuffling and library construction for criminal record keeping purposes and also to trace the genealogy of persons seven generations back.
The Chief Executive of the hospital, Professor Nii Otu Nartey, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the move formed part of measures to make the nation’s premier hospital a one-stop health centre for the handling of all complicated cases.
He said there were also plans to introduce other specialised centres which would end the syndrome of Ghanaians seeking medical attention outside the country.
With the introduction of organ transplantation at the hospital, he said the introduction of the DNA facility could help with cross-matching to assess whether there could be problems with certain transplantation as a result of incompatibility.
Prof. Nartey said the facility would make it easier to determine the history of medical conditions as to whether they ran through families or were by accidents.
Throwing more light on the facility, Mr Sagoe said a survey he conducted in 2004 at the courts showed that there were a number of unresolved cases because DNA tests needed to be conducted to confirm certain findings before judgements could be given.
Some of those cases, he said, involved rape and family issues.
He, therefore, submitted proposals to the management of the hospital to consider supporting the establishment of the facility in Ghana.
Mr Sagoe said since he returned from the United States of America (USA) after training in Cuba six years ago, he had made a promise to work towards the establishment of the centre.
He said although there were offers to remain in the USA and also to go to South Africa, he stayed in Ghana to see through it and expressed his appreciation to the hospital for supporting his cause.