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Dialysis crisis: Teenage patient who appealed for support from government to pay bills passes on
A 15-year-old renal patient on dialysis at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, who appealed for support in an interview with JoyNews, has died.
The mother of the young girl, Priscilla Asante, revealed that her daughter passed away early Sunday at 1 a.m.
In an interview with JoyNews’ Richard Kwadwo Nyarko, Madam Ruth said that she saw her daughter, Priscilla, bloating on the day of her passing.
She added the doctor had informed her that this was an indication both kidneys of the young girl had failed.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnight, on Wednesday, the headmaster of Mampong Catholic A Basic School, where Priscilla was a pupil, revealed that the young girl had been writing her third term examination prior to the tragedy.
Mr Francis Ampong said that the school had noted some unusual changes in Priscilla days before her passing and had sent her home to her parents.
He stated that there was a delay in sending her to the hospital immediately because her mother who was home at the time had no money.
However, they managed to send her to a local hospital and later the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital where she died days later.
Meanwhile, Priscialla’s mother noted that her daughter’s death came just a month after she started her dialysis treatment.
She said that had her daughter survived the family would have needed about GH¢1000 every week for her dialysis treatment.
Madam Ruth stated that in the short time period, the family has accumulated a lot of debt in their bid to help her daughter seek treatment.
She said that they still needed to pay the hospital about GH¢4000 to retrieve her daughter’s body for burial on Sunday.
Madam Ruth appealed to the government to reduce the cost of dialysis treatment so people from lower-income homes struggling with renal failure could afford it.
Priscilla’s death comes barely a day after her interview with JoyNews was aired.
The young Junior High School student revealed she had to miss classes and seek treatment at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital every week.
She shared her dream of wanting to become a nurse and hoped for a full recovery.
Priscilla had appealed to the public and the government to come to her and her family’s aid so they could pay for her dialysis treatment.
Background
The past weeks have witnessed a public outcry over the increase in the cost of dialysis – a regular medical treatment for persons with kidney failure in Ghana.
It follows reports of the increased cost of dialysis per session for those with kidney conditions by over 100% at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The cost of dialysis per session at the hospital was increased from GH¢380.00 to GH¢765.42.
While some health facilities are yet to adjust their costs, regular dialysis is a headache for many who are unable to afford it resulting in the death of many patients.
In a press conference on Monday, the Renal Patients Association of Ghana, comprised of individuals with kidney conditions, disclosed that fourteen of its members passed away between May and September while at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The association attributed this to a shortage of consumables at the facility, resulting in a limitation of dialysis services to only emergency cases.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
