President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced that the government will pay the full cost of the surgery to be carried out for conjoined twins at the Ridge Hospital in Accra.
This was disclosed by the Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei Opare yesterday at a short ceremony at the hospital.
The Chief of Staff said the procedure would be a historic one, and the President sees it as an opportunity to save lives and help the family of the twins.
“The President takes this is a historic opportunity, one that will save lives, save the family from the problems that they will not be able to deal with in the future, but also build capacity for Ghana. It is my pleasure to announce that the President has said all related cost of this exercise, the State is willing to take over and is ready to take over the cost and make sure that there is no mishap,” she announced.
“What you need is timeous release of the funds so that you get your equipment on time and everything. That is guaranteed. We are also going to back you in prayers. I will also call on all Ghanaians to back our doctors with prayers because this is a historic moment, and they need not just our money, but they need our moral support,” she added.
Conjoined twins
The twins were born to a 15-year-old girl, Rebecca Bansah, who last month appealed to the public to help raise funds for the procedure. Doctors say it will cost about GH¢3million to separate the Siamese siblings.
The twins, in their third month, are joined at the head. Data suggest that only about five per cent of conjoined twins survive until surgery.
Doctors at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital are however hopeful that the surgery will be successful.
Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, a neurosurgeon at the facility, said in an interview that although the surgery process would be daunting, the neurosurgeons are very competent in carrying out the operation.
He revealed that it would take about five stages to complete the surgery.
