News
Absence of RBC antibody screening puts babies at risk
A NEW study has revealed alarming gaps in antenatal care in Ghana, where routine screening for Red Blood Cell (RBC) antibodies is largely absent, leaving many babies at risk of preventable complications and death. The research, conducted between June 2024 and June 2025 at a secondary referral facility, was led by Dr (Mrs) Lilian Antwi Boateng, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Medical Diagnostics, KNUST, with support from Mr Bastu Odoka, Principal Medical Laboratory Scientist at Effia Nkwanta Hospital.
The study, involving 411 pregnant women, found that nine (2.2 per cent) carried potentially harmful antibodies. Among RhD- (a protein found on the surface of red blood cells) negative mothers, the prevalence of anti-D antibodies was 17.1 per cent — higher than rates reported in other African countries.
Two babies born to affected mothers developed serious complications; one died on the third day of life, while the other survived after intensive care. According to Dr Antwi Boateng, in a chat with The Spectator, the absence of routine RBC antibody testing in most hospitals is contributing to stillbirths, preterm births, and neonatal deaths.
In Ghana, these conditions occur at estimated rates of 1.2 per cent, 37.3 per cent, and 2.3 per cent respectively, based on recent studies. Although anti-D prophylaxis — two injections given during pregnancy and shortly after birth — can prevent sensitisation almost entirely, access remains limited.
Only 49 per cent of eligible mothers in the study had received the injections, far below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 100 per cent coverage. The drug, which costs about GH₵750 per dose, is often unavailable or unaffordable, leaving many women unprotected.
Health experts, including Dr Antwi Boateng, are calling for urgent reforms: routine antenatal RBC antibody screening, enforcement of national protocols for RhD immunoprophylaxis, and inclusion of anti-D immunoglobulin in the National Health Insurance Scheme. They also recommend training healthcare providers to detect and manage maternal antibodies.
“This is a preventable tragedy,” Dr Antwi Boateng stressed, noting that every Ghanaian baby deserves the chance to be born healthy.
From Kingsley E. Hope, Kumasi
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A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
