Rawlings visits young accident victim at Komfo Anokye

Former President Jerry John Rawlings was at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital on Saturday to visit a young boy who was struck by a vehicle at Offinso in Kumasi a few months ago.

A vehicle knocked down Peter Mensah, who was six at the time of the accident and is now seven, on his way home, crushing his legs leading to a double amputation.

Mensah who has had multiple surgeries including the amputation, graft and plastic surgery has miraculously responded positively to treatment and was in good spirits when the former President visited the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the hospital to see things for himself. Dr. John Adabie Appiah, Senior Specialist, Paediatric Critical Care and Head of the PICU briefed the former President on the treatments Peter has received since he was admitted to the facility.

He has adapted well to an automatic wheel chair and controls it without assistance.

Flt Lt Rawlings said he was moved when he saw the ‘pitiful’ video of Peter being lifted into a taxi with his limbs hanging off his body and decided to visit anytime he had the opportunity to travel to Kumasi.

The former President who interacted with other patients at the ward also congratulated the doctors and nurses for the hard work in ensuring Peter’s recovery and called for support from well meaning people to cater for his huge medical bills. He promised to do what he could to raise some support for the treatment.

Mr. Rawlings also commended madam Anita Sefa Boakye whose huge financial contributions have paid for the boy’s numerous surgeries and treatments. She told the former President she chanced upon the boy’s predicament during a visit to the hospital a couple of months ago.

Peter’s grandmother, Esther Darkoaa who has cared for him since the accident and his mother Alice Fosuaa who incidentally was heavily pregnant when her son suffered the accident and has since delivered, were both at the hospital during the visit.