Doctors amputate arm of a five-year old boy abused by step mother

Doctors at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital on Wednesday successfully amputated the arm of a five- year old boy from Abura Dunkwa whose hand was left to rot after his step mother inflicted cutlass wounds on him.

The boy is in good condition and responding to treatment.

The step-mother, Efua Abaiduwa, a farmer allegedly wounded her step-son in the lower left hand some weeks back but left it untreated.

The boy lives with his father, a palm wine tapper, and step-mother, at Abura Dunkwa in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese (AAK) District of the Central Region.

He was brought to the hospital by two good Samaritans who spotted him in town on Monday, January 28 and became alarmed by his condition and later reported the case to the Abura Dunkwa Police.

Upon examination, Medical doctors at the hospital were left with no option than to amputate the affected arm to prevent further damage to him.

Dr Martin Morna, Head of the Surgery Department of the hospital who supervised the exercise which lasted almost an hour noted that part of the boy’s arm that went towards the fingers was completely dead and rotten.

This, according to him was as a result of inappropriate management given to the wound adding that, if it had been reported earlier, the boy’s arm could have been saved.

Dr Morna described the condition suffered by the child as “unnecessary” and assured that the boy would be given the best of care but urged the public to be vigilant to report such cases promptly.

Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe, Central Regional Director of the Department of Gender and Children Protection visited the boy and said the Department would collaborate with the social welfare to ensure that the boy received the best of attention.

He said her outfit would follow the case closely and ensure that the step other together with the husband faced the full rigorous of the law.

Meanwhile, the Police in Abura Dunkwa have since arrested the 22- year-old nursing mother and the father of the boy, David Mensah who have been arraigned before the Abura Dunkwa Dustrict Court.

Abaduwah has been charged with causing harm and has been remanded in prison custody whilst Mensah had been charged with abatement of crime and is in police custody.

They will be re-arraigned on Thursday, February 14, 2019.