First awake brain surgery in West Africa conducted at Ridge Hospital on ‘patriotic’ police officer

This is a surgery done while the patient is awake and alert to ensure that there is no loss of vital functions of the brain.

The awake brain surgery was conducted on an officer of the Ghana Police Service; Sergeant Sylvester Boakye.

The lead surgeon for awake brain surgery, Prof Samuel Kaba, in an interview with TV3’s Portia Gabor, said that the patient had psychiatric issues because of a tumour in his brain.

He explained that to ensure that there are no serious side effects, the surgery had to be conducted while the police officer was awake.

“When we saw him, the necessary test was done and we detected that he had a brain tumour. The tumour is embedded in the area that helps us to be able to visualise things and position ourselves and to be able to have good memory and good thinking to reduce hallucinations.

“We realised that operating on him, we had to work on him awake. Because if we attempt operating on him asleep completely, we might be removing the tumour but he will come out with a deficit,” the doctor said.

In the theatre room, as the surgery was ongoing, Sergeant Sylvester Boakye was made to go through a series of activities to ensure that he was awake.

He, at a point, was made to identify objects in a book, made to play a flute also well as a drum.

But the most emotional moment was when he was singing the national anthem of Ghana, ‘God Bless our Home Land, Ghana’, as the surgery was ongoing.

Watch the report of the operation below: