Over 400 children diagnosed with various heart diseases are virtually on death roll at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in the Ashanti region.
The children painfully await their death as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) unfortunately does not cover the cost for heart and brain surgery other than those resulting from accidents.
The fate of these children is left in despair as family members struggle to raise treatment costs between $2000 and $60,000 depending on the gravity of the heart condition.
One such child is 18-month-old, Yusif Zakaria the only male child of a mason Bashiru Zakaria and wife, a charcoal seller.
The couple who spoke to JoyNews monitored by theghanareport.com said their son has been diagnosed with a rare heart disease called Truncus Arteriosus.
Doctors say the only solution to Yusif’s illness is a “reconstruction” of his heart in India estimated to cost around $12,000.
” I don’t have any hope or anywhere to go for help, maybe unless some help comes from somewhere which I don’t know,” Bashiru said.
Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon at the hospital, Dr. Isaac Okyere said Bashiru’s hole is “very deep”.
He was emphatic, it is the responsibility of the government to take care of these children.
“Most countries have their insurance policies covering the cost of surgery for children and I think we should do that because most average Ghanaians cannot afford to foot the bills for their children,” he said.
Expressing his worry and the uncomfortable situation the condition of these children puts health professional into, Dr. Okyere said, “We have smart surgeons here who can operate on these patients but their parents cannot afford the bills and so we should all advocate for government to take part of the bill”
Gifty Adoboli, a 32-year-old petty trader lost her 4-year-old daughter to Ventricular Septal Defect commonly known as ‘hole in heart’ a year ago.
The devastated mother in an exclusive interview with theghanareport.com describes the unbearable agony she went through watching her daughter lose her life every day.
“She was dying slowly as her condition worsened by the day and I could do little about it…..It was a difficult experience for me, one that I do not wish even for my worst enemy, I lost everything in my quest to see my daughter recover, I did everything I could but I still lost her” she said amidst tears.
Ms. Adoboli lost ‘her life’ after her daughter was diagnosed with a ‘hole in heart’ condition back in April 2019.
“Every savings went into my daughter’s medication, as we practically became ‘tenant’ at the hospital because of her recurrent heart failure” she said.
Gifty said, in July 2019 they were referred from the Half-Assini district hospital to Korle Bu to undergo surgery.
According to her, that was when her world came crashing down
“We were asked to raise $14,000 for my daughter’s surgery, a time when I had exhausted all my savings, borrowed from my suppliers, friends, I didn’t know where to look for help”
“I was introduced to a gospel musician, Nii Okai and his Saving Hearts Foundation and they were ready to raise 40% of the bill but I couldn’t raise my part”
“Two days before my daughter died, the Member of Parliament of Joromo, Paul Essien gave us 30% of the money and the doctors agreed to commence the surgery but a night before the day of surgery I lost my girl,” she said.
Civil societies, organizations, individuals once in a while donate to cut down the cost of patients but health professionals say it is not enough.