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A 4-year old girl living on oxygen needs help
A four-year-old girl who lives with her parents at Aboabo, a suburb of Koforidua is unable to attend school and would have to live on oxygen for the rest of her life as a result of chronic lung cancer.
Elita Afia Boafo Asare Junior who is second of a set of twins has been diagnosed with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease, which makes it difficult for her to breathe .
Born a preterm, at 33 weeks together with her twin sister Elisa, who is healthy and well, Elita developed a respiratory distress syndrome commonly associated with children born preterm.
After spending several days with her mother at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), she was well and discharged but found her way back to the hospital at age four due to a new diagnosis.
Speaking to “The Spectator” on Elita’s case, Dr Afua Gyamfi, Director of Paediatrics at the Children’s Hospital at the Koforidua Central Hospital said that Elita’s situation was common with children born preterm, adding that some had respiratory problems shortly after birth.
She explained that the child’s poor lung capacity and less space made it difficult for her to breathe well.
According to her, there was no treatment to cure this ailment except to focus on treatment meant to support breathing and that only oxygen could help such people grow and thrive.
‘Elita has a lung disease and the only way to help is to have a lung transplant but the question is whether her parents can afford it?” asked, adding that, for now she had to live on oxygen.
The doctor indicated that Elita may live on oxygen for a long time either, for life or may recover at a certain point.
Dr Gyamfi explained that after several counselling of her mother and interactions between her and the hospital, both parties decided that the little girl should be given a paliative care at home to prevent incurring high hospital bills and other inconveniences of the family.
She revealed that after offering them with two oxygen cylinders and making arrangements for refilling , Elita and mother were discharged to continue caring for her at home whilst the public health care team would also visit to ensure her wellbeing.
Dr Gyamfi suggested that her parents can acquire an oxygen concentrator which cost about Ghc7,000 for her to supplement their buying of oxygen to reduce cost.
However, she stated that the oxygen concentrator may also attract constant electricity charges.
According to her parents, Mr and Mrs Asare, Elita uses a cylinder of oxygen at the cost of Ghc46 daily .
Her mother Madam Mary Danquah Asare explained the financial burden was becoming unbearable as they would not be able to afford buying the oxygen all the time to keep their daughter alive.
“I feel so sorry for my little girl that she has to live on this till God knows when. She has grown lean and malnourished but I have faith that she will be well again if we get help to provide oxygen for her all the time.”
She told The Spectator that carrying the cylinder alongside her child around attracted huge cost and appealed to philanthropists, institutions and corporate bodies as well as individuals to come to their aid.
“As a hairdresser, I have now closed my shop and cannot work because of my daughter’s situation. I have to be with her all the time, leaving all the burden on my husband who is a photographer,” she lamented.
Elita’s father, Mr Foster Asare said as a photographer, he had been using all of his earnings on buying oxygen for the little girl, adding that the situation was challenging.
“I am pleading with the public, government, individuals and philanthropists to come to my aid because my strength is failing me but I pray she gets help and becomes healthy like her other twin sister”
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, spokesperson to NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has called on the government and Parliament to undertake major reforms in Ghana’s prison system, including the construction of a dedicated prison hospital and the introduction of regulated conjugal visits.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Dr Boakye-Danquah shared Chairman Wontumi’s observations and recommendations following his remand on July 20, 2026.
According to the statement, Chairman Wontumi’s experience in prison has given him the opportunity to interact with prison officers and inmates and observe the challenges facing the Ghana Prisons Service.
The statement noted that the NPP chairman believes the correctional system must move beyond punishment to focus on rehabilitation, welfare and productivity.
One of his major concerns is the lack of dedicated, well-equipped prison hospitals, ambulances and standby generators in several prison facilities.
Dr Boakye-Danquah said Chairman Wontumi had raised concerns about the difficulties in providing medical care to seriously ill inmates, including those suffering from tuberculosis.
He is therefore calling for the construction of a modern prison hospital to serve facilities across the country. In the interim, he has proposed emergency arrangements with the 37 Military Hospital and the Police Hospital.
On the welfare of prison officers, Chairman Wontumi has urged the government to review their salaries, accommodation and conditions of service.
He has also called for proper classification of inmates, arguing that minor offenders should not be housed alongside armed robbery convicts and that persons facing trial for serious offences, including treason and terrorism, should be appropriately separated from other inmates.
The statement further highlighted concerns about the need for counselling and behavioural support for young inmates, particularly those serving sentences for defilement-related offences.
Chairman Wontumi has also called for a clear policy on the classification and management of LGBTQI+ inmates within the prison system.
On family relationships, he has proposed the creation of designated private areas where prisoners can receive visits from their spouses and children.
He believes regulated conjugal visits could help preserve marriages, reduce tension among inmates and support rehabilitation.
“The prisoner is the one in prison, not the children or spouse,” the statement noted, explaining his position on the need to protect family relationships during incarceration.
Chairman Wontumi has appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to support prison farms with the necessary equipment to improve food production.
According to the statement, the Ghana Prisons Service has access to vast lands and skilled labour but faces a shortage of agricultural equipment, with only one tractor reportedly available for farming and garbage-related activities.
He has further proposed greater collaboration between prison authorities and the justice sector, suggesting that regional prison commanders should be included in relevant discussions because of their knowledge of prison conditions and inmate rehabilitation.
On infrastructure, Chairman Wontumi has called on the government and private sector to invest in modern prison facilities and factories, arguing that the system has seen limited structural improvements over the years.
Appeal to Parliament
Dr Boakye-Danquah said Chairman Wontumi had made a special appeal to Parliament to lead efforts towards comprehensive prison reform.
He is urging the Speaker of Parliament to initiate discussions on prison conditions as a human rights and national development issue.
He has also called on the Majority and Minority caucuses to work together to pass a new Prison Reform Act and approve funding for a dedicated prison hospital, ambulance services, standby generators and agricultural equipment.
Additionally, he wants the Parliamentary Select Committees on Defence and Interior, Health, and Food and Agriculture to undertake working visits to prisons across the country to assess conditions firsthand.
According to the statement, Chairman Wontumi believes bipartisan cooperation between the Majority and Minority caucuses is necessary to secure the legal and financial reforms required to improve the prison system.
He has called for broader prison reforms across Africa, expressing hope that Ghana could lead the continent in improving correctional facilities.
Reflecting on his experience since July 20, Chairman Wontumi stated: “At this experience since July 20th till date, prison doesn’t reform as it should be. I pray that the entire Africa will learn from Ghana.”
The statement added that Chairman Wontumi remained in high spirits.
By: Jacob Aggrey
England captain Harry Kane says it was extra special to be presented with the Ballon d’Or by one of his childhood idols.
Kane made the comment after receiving the prestigious award from former Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazario.
“Ronaldo was one of my idols growing up,” Kane said.
The Bayern Munich striker described the moment as surreal, being honoured by a player he looked up to as a young footballer.
Kane was announced as the 2026 Ballon d’Or winner on Monday, October 26, at the London Palladium, marking the 70th anniversary of the award and the first time the ceremony was held outside France.
The 33-year-old beat stiff competition from second-placed Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal to win his first ever Ballon d’Or.
He becomes the first Englishman to win the coveted individual award in 25 years since Michael Owen in 2001, and only the fifth Englishman ever after Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan and Owen.
He is also the first Bayern Munich player to win the award since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in 1981.
Kane won the award after a remarkable season in which he scored 61 goals in 51 club matches, the most a Bayern player has ever scored in one campaign.
Including England matches, it was 73 goals plus eight assists in 65 matches. His 73 goals is the second-highest single-season total ever behind Lionel Messi’s 82 in 2011-12.
Despite the goal haul, Kane did not win the Champions League or World Cup, with Bayern losing 6-5 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-finals and England losing 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final before finishing third.
The award was presented by Brazilian great Ronaldo Nazario, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner himself, adding what was described as a special dimension to Kane’s historic achievement.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
