The five-year-old boy sitting on his mother's lap
Mother of a five-year-old boy has revealed to MyNewsGh.com as part of its community reports she has no money to seek further medical examination of her son (Frank not his real name) at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra so she’s taking refuge in prayer camp expecting a miracle.
“Frank” according to doctors is having seizure coupled with other neuro conditions. At five, he can’t walk, talk, sit nor eat hence a tube is fixed through his nose to aid liquid food to enter the stomach.
After discovering the child with the condition by MyNewsGh.com’s Fred Duhoe, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Keta municipality was called on for assistance and the little boy was sent for examination
Speaking in an interview with Madam Mary, she indicated that she wasn’t regular with her antenatal and post-natal during pregnancy and after delivery else, the situation would’ve been detected early enough.
“We have been discharged from the hospital after two months of stay and back home sought attention from the prayer camp for a while now”.
The mother of the sick boy disclosed that she’s totally handicapped in seeking quality healthcare for her son but chose to be at the prayer camp as the condition hasn’t seen any improvement.
At the Korlebu Teaching Hospital, Madam Mary said the doctors wanted to detain them but due to lack of funds, she opted to go home instead and seek for help.
She was asked to run some scans and tests for the child to receive care but all this comes at a cost which she can’t afford.
“My husband has exhausted all his resources on this situation and now heavily indebted and has nowhere to turn to. We’re home with Frank and managing the situation hoping for a miracle from God but I’m pleading with benevolent society to come to the aid of my son. I don’t want to see him die please come to our aid” the helpless mother begged.
Epilepsy according to the World Health Organisation is responsible for an enormous amount of suffering. On the African continent, it affects 10,000,000 people directly. They are of all ages, but especially within childhood, adolescence and the ageing population.
Epilepsy provides the clearest example of a neurological disorder for which effective and cost-efficient treatment is available.
Recent studies both in the developing and in the developed world revealed that if properly treated up to 70% of people with this condition could live productive and fulfilling lives, free from seizures.
Yet in developing countries up to 90% of the people who have this condition, and sometimes even more, are excluded from care and consequently remain in the shadow of this treatment gap.
