Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng (born 1950) is a Ghanaian physician and cardiothoracic surgeon who established the National Cardiothoracic Center and the Ghana Red Cross Society. He is also the President of the Ghana Heart Foundation and was the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
A well-known figure in his country, Frimpong-Boateng was elected a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in December 2002.
Frimpong-Boateng attended Sekondi College in Ghana. The young Frimpong-Boateng studied physics and mathematics thinking that he would become an engineer. Nonetheless, he later decided to seek a career as a doctor when he was offered a scholarship to study medicine in Germany. His father Kofi Frimpong had died from heart injuries due to a road traffic accident prior to his birth., so he thought he could help people in similar situations. After finishing his post-graduate studies, he returned to his birthplace to practice as Ghana's first locally based cardiothoracic surgeon.
In 1992, he set up the National Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. There were no cardiothoracic surgery facilities in the country at the time, so he aimed the centre to teach to young surgeons and assist new patients. In Ghana, primary health care issues such as malaria and limited childhood vaccinations are greatly underserved due to lack of infrastructure, lack of funding, transportation, and quality and safety, making skilled speciality care a luxury often attained only by those rich enough to leave the country.
He joined the University of Ghana Medical School as a lecturer in 2000 and was promoted associate professor the same year. He was made a full professor in 2002. He also served as the head of the department of Surgery at the University of Ghana Medical School, prior to his current appointment as the Chief Executive of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in 2002. He was elected to the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in December 2002 and gave his inaugural lecture the following year. Frimpong-Boateng also runs a charitable foundation, the Ghana Heart Foundation, which is responsible for paying for heart surgery for some indigent Ghanaians under his care.
Source; Wikipedia
