Connect with us

News

Children with cleft not cursed – CEO of Korle-Bu

Published

on

• Some of the parents with their children cured of cleft condition

Some of the parents with their children cured of cleft condition

     The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, has asked Ghanaians to disregard myths and misconceptions surrounding children born with cleft, insisting that such children are not cursed.

    According to him, cleft was a med­ical condition that can be corrected by surgery within 45 minutes.

    However, due to stigmatisation, parents of such children often hide them at home, denying them oppor­tunity to receive treatment which later affect them in life.

    Dr Ampomah made the disclosure last week at a press conference to mark the cleft awareness week ob­served on August 26-29, 2024.

    Advertisement

    Operation Smile is a global non­profit service organisation that bridges the gap in access to essential surgeries and health care, starting with cleft surgery and comprehensive care.

    It also provides medical expertise, training, mentorship, research and care through its dedicated staff and volunteers around the world, work­ing alongside local governments, nonprofits and health systems, and supported by generous donors and corporate partner

    The period was one the Operation Smile team will educate Ghanaians on various media platforms.

    According Dr Ampomah most chil­dren with cleft were often said to have been stroked by an evil spirit, cursed, or were children born out of adultery or facing punishment from God.

    Advertisement

    But he indicated that “cleft is not a curse, it is a medical condition that is surgically correctable in a 45 minute surgery.”

    He explained that cleft was a con­dition that occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, resulting the cleft lip or cleft palate.

    Cleft lip is an opening or split in the upper lip that occurs when developing facial structures in an unborn baby do not close completely.

    A cleft palate is an opening or split in the roof of the mouth that occurs when the tissue does not fuse together during development in the womb.

    Advertisement

    He said a child with cleft condition finds it difficult to breast feed, hear or speak and mostly produce nasal sounds when they speak.

    Dr Ampomah, who is also the Medi­cal Director for Operation Smile said the condition was caused genetically while there were also environmental factors that could cause it.

    Some of the environmental factors, he said, were alcohol use, smoking, drug abuse and lack of vitamin B (folic acid) during pregnancy.

    He said heavy metals and toxin from galamsey sites which pollute water bodies could result in cleft problems, adding that “with the ‘galamsey’ activities, I will not be surprised if there are increases in the cleft conditions, we do not have to wait for it to happen.”

    Advertisement

    Dr Ampomah said Operation Smile was the largest provider of cleft care in Ghana since it started operation in 2011, adding that it provides free and safe surgeries to both children and adults.

    He advised women to stop taking unprescribed drugs and visit the hospital when there are challenges to avoid such conditions.

    Mr Henry Quist, the Acting Country Manager of Operation Smile-Ghana, encouraged parents and guardians with cleft children to take advantage of their outreaches to correct the condition.

    According to him, surgery could be performed on babies with cleft lip from three to six months and for those with palate, between nine and 12 months of birth.

    Advertisement

     By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu

    News

    Just In: GRIDCo boss steps aside, major shake up at ECG – Energy Minister orders

    Published

    on

    Miniser for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has revealed a major shake up at Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) following recent power outages.

    In a post on Facebook, Felix Kwakye Ofosu disclosed that Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor has asked the CEO of GRIDCo to step aside pending investigations into fire incident at Akosombo power control center.

    Also, he further noted that there has been a major shake up in the leadership of the ECG in the Ashanti Region.

    “At 2pm tomorrow, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon John Jinapor, will hold a major briefing on recent developments in electricity distribution,” he concluded.

    Advertisement

    By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

    Continue Reading

    News

    Abu Trica’s extradition case: Prophets, fetish priests demand pay for spiritual solution …Lawyer reveals

    Published

    on

    Abu Trica
    Abu Trica

    Mr Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a lawyer for embattled Frederick Kumi, affectionately called Abu Trica and has made a shocking revelation over the behaviour of some members of the clergy.

    According to him in a post on social media, the difficult part of Abu Trica’s trial is not the law but the number of ‘Men of God’ and fetish priests demanding financial sacrifices to help resolve the matter spiritually.

    Oliver Barker-Vormawor posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2026, “The most difficult part about the Abu Trica case; is not the law.”

    He continued: “It is the number of, prophetesses, evangelists and fetish priests, who have called or messaged to ask us to pay for spiritual solutions.”

    Advertisement

    It would be recalled that in March this year, the Gbese District Court dismissed a preliminary objection filed by Abu Trica, challenging the extradition proceedings initiated at the request of the United States.

    The court, presided over by Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, in its ruling held that the offences forming the basis of the extradition, particularly wire fraud, constitute extraditable offences under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.

    He was then given 15 days counting from March 27 to appeal the decision of the court or be surrendered for extradition to the US.

    Against this backdrop, he was on Tuesday, April 22, granted a bail in the sum of GH¢30,000,000 by an Accra High, pending the appeal of his extradition 

    Advertisement

    Mr Kumi was arrested in Ghana in December 2025 following an indictment by United States authorities, alleging that he played a role in a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of more than $8 million.

    By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

    Advertisement
    Continue Reading
    Advertisement

    Trending