2020 Election Violence: I’ve had 6 surgeries, spent about GH¢100k with no support from the govt – Victim cries

As the country gears up for the pending December 7, 2024, general election, some Ghanaians who were afflicted by the violence that was seen during the previous election will be reliving the pains they went through, having been left alone to deal with their injuries and the losses they suffered.

One of the victims is Pious Asiedu Kwanin, a journalist who was shot at the Ablekuma Central constituency collation centre of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. He has so far gone through six surgeries without support from the government or compensation from the persons involved in the shooting incident.

Speaking in an interview on GhanaWeb’s #SayItLoud programme, the journalist said that he was supposed to go for treatment abroad to fix his left leg, which was shot, but he has not been able to travel because he and his relatives were not able to raise the $40,000 cost of the treatment.

He indicated that he had so far spent about GH¢100,000 for the four major and two minor surgeries he has had with the help of his friends and family.

“I don’t get any support from the government. Initially, when we were at the hospital, I had a call from the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, that he would come and then pay me a visit. So, I informed the editor who assigned me to the work... they assured me that they would come but they never came. I’ve also tried several ways and means to let the government know of my issue. But all my efforts have been in vain.

“For every surgery that you do, you need about GH¢18,000 to GH¢20,000, excluding post-hospital charges. I’ve done four major surgeries and then two minor ones. For the major ones, you have to buy artificial bone and sometimes you have to buy four of them, two, three, and one cost around GH¢3000,” he narrated.

He added, “My family has been supporting, and then sometimes friends do, and sometimes too, once they prescribe a surgery, you can’t help but try to find the money. So, if you don’t have that money sitting down, that means that you have to go for a loan.”

The victim, who has now been rendered jobless, said that his attempts to get help from local authorities, including the previous Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central and the current one, have proven futile.

He said that the MPs, after making promises, have not done anything for him.

“I went to the MPs, both MPs, the former and then the current. The former MP, who was for the NPP, I called him initially and he was even surprised. He said ‘I didn’t even know that you are in my constituency. So where are you located?’ I told him and he said I should send him my name and number, which I did. So, I was waiting for him. I didn’t hear from him. So, I called him back again. And then he just shouted at me. Afterwards, anytime that I call him, the number is busy.

“Then the current MP, I went to his office to have a discussion with him. When I was going to do my third surgery, they wanted me to do a scan which was very expensive – it was costing about GH¢2280. So, I went to him to tell him that this had been the issue and I can’t raise that money by myself. He agreed that he would help. He told me to come this day, I would go and he wasn’t there. I would call him, and he would tell me that he was doing parliamentary work. So, I should call him in the evening. I did this for about more than six months. It came to a time when he was no longer responding to my calls or messages. So that has been the issue so far.”

Watch his remarks in the video below (from 10:00):





BAI/NOQ

You can also watch the latest episode of Election Desk on GhanaWeb TV below:

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.