Korle Bu failed me – Mother recounts ordeal of deceased 13-year-old son
Cordelia Ama Selormey, the mother of a 13-year-old boy who died of complications from brain surgery at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, has recounted her ordeal.
Michael Kofi Asiamah died on April 9, 2021, while receiving treatment after undergoing two successful surgeries to remove a brain tumour at the nation’s premier hospital.
He was buried on Saturday, May 8, 2021.
According to his mother, the doctors did everything they could to save Michael’s life, but the neurosurgical unit lacked essential medical equipment.
“I had absolute confidence in the doctors at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. The doctors did not let us down, but the system did,” she lamented.
While narrating the heart-wrenching story, Cordelia said the medical equipment that will enable access to the brain through the nasal cavity was lacking.
“The doctors gave us two options. Either to cut the head open or to go through the nose. Now, going through the nose, the particular equipment used to take out the tumour was not owned by Korle Bu. It was for one of the doctors, and so you can imagine a situation where doctors have to do minimal invasion to remove a tumour, but because they do not own this equipment, they will have to cut the head open,” she narrated.
“I don’t think the neurosurgical unit at Korle Bu is a priority to any government, and I am saying this with so much pain…,” the disappointed mother said in tears.
The 13-year-old suffered complications from the surgery and needed a defibrillator to resuscitate his heart, but the country’s foremost referral hospital did not have one.
“Doctors spent close to 40minutes trying to resuscitate his heart manually because there was no defibrillator to use.”
“Again, Michael shouldn’t have been taken off the ICU bed in the first place. Not within 24hours after surgery, but there was another major surgery… the entire Korle Bu has only four ICU beds,” she revealed sobbing on Accra-based Citi FM.
The death of Michael comes barely a year after theghanareport.com reported on the shortage of recovery beds at the referral hospital.
Authorities are yet to address the problem, which has persisted for several years.
Korle-Bu Lacks Beds As Critically Ill Patients Wait To Die
Doctors are finding it hard to carry out surgeries as recovery beds are hard to come by for the patients.
“There are no recovery beds in the surgical unit, the whole hospital there are only 4 recovery beds, and they are all at the intensive care unit,”
“Recovery beds are a special type of beds designed for hospital patients who undergo surgery. They are put on these beds from the theatre, nursed until they regain consciousness before transferred to the ward,” a neurosurgeon told theghanareport.com.
“A patient will spend not less than two weeks on a recovery bed after surgery,” the doctor said.
Response by the surgeon who handled Michael’s case
Reacting to the death of his patient, Dr Hadi Mohammed Abdullah, said he shed tears when he lost Micheal.
“I cried when I lost Micheal, he was full of life, and we did everything we could to save his life,” he stated.
According to him, the neurosurgical unit, which serves the whole country and other West African countries, only occupied a floor on the surgical block.
He bemoaned the lack of medical equipment and recounted how a colleague doctor secured equipment for the hospital from the United States but had to pay for huge import duties.
Despite the benevolence of the doctor and charity organisations in the US, the state failed to absorb any of the duties or facilitate installing the equipment at the hospital.
“A senior colleague, Dr Bankah, who trained at the Johns Hopkins University and worked at the hospital secured some medical equipment when he was relocating to Ghana.. we expected the government to facilitate the import duties, but that did not happen. He had to pay for them,” he bemoaned.
Dr Abdullah called for the resourcing of the neurosurgical unit and the establishment of a neuroscience department.
“We have very competent health professionals in Ghana. What we lack is the equipment to work with… We also need a dedicated neuroscience block, a purpose-built block for neurosurgeries,” he added.
Meanwhile, some social media users have reacted to Michael’s death as they demand reforms in the health sector.
Herh!!!! I weak. Ghana. I pray for strength for Kekeli’s mother.
— Nathan Quao (@nathan_quao) May 11, 2021
Kekeli didn’t have to die.
He had the best of doctorsHe didn’t have a bed, he didn’t have an ICU bed. A whole Korle Bu???? 💔💔💔 #FixTheCountryGhana #WeAreAngry #FixTheCountry
— Dapper Queen Of Kings (@IvyEnyonam_) May 11, 2021
The doctors passed this test but the system failed Kekeli. This is part of the reasons we say Ghana 🇬🇭needs fixing #FixMotherGhana #CitiCBS
— Joshua (@Grin_grow) May 11, 2021
We dey shout fix the country aaa then the guard dogs dey come tell you to fix yourself. Kekeli no fix enself that be why our health system let her down abi. Foolish people sorrn. #FixMotherGhanaNow
— Dr. Ayigbe Borla Bird (@Mr_Ceyram) May 11, 2021
I’m so devastated,angry,weak and hopeless this morning ..And I just don’t know..I really feel pain in my heart..This is why we are angry and not about NPP or NDC chances of winning or retaining power..Aww Kekeli😭
#CitiCBS— Erm two things Bernard Avle😍 (@emmauelwithyou) May 11, 2021
I am sure there are several shattered stories like that of Kekeli’s case. It’s just that they haven’t been aired yet. #CitiCBS
— Nii Odenkey (@samespirit_nii) May 11, 2021
Today’s show has got me in tears. Ghana must work. We can’t lose another Kekeli to this kind system. Cordelia is a tough woman. God comfort you. #CitiCBS
— Irene Banne (@mmoanagyemba) May 11, 2021
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>A simple defibrillator to be used to save the lives of people, korle bu doesn't have in one in their surgical unit but a minister was on TV defending why he needed a v8 land cruiser to attend funerals. If we don't ask for change, we will suffer without liberation rough<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/CitiCBS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#CitiCBS</a></p>— Black Chinese (@raphael_amuri) <a href=”https://twitter.com/raphael_amuri/status/1392041411445465090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>The more lives saved, the less he would get to use his v8 land cruiser for funerals🌚</p>— BS (@bahm123) <a href=”https://twitter.com/bahm123/status/1392096369406627840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Is this country hopeful or hopeless? What at all is happening to African Leaders or Authorities. OOOh Hell sad. Disgraceful day for Ghana. High Import duties on what can save a whole country, at least…Hmmmm