The Minister of Children, Gender and Social Protection Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey has visited the neurosurgery ward of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) to check on Little Yaw, a young patient whose case was recently brought to the Ministry’s attention.
Acting on the instructions of President John Dramani Mahama, the Minister said the child’s case was referred to the National Health Insurance Authority and later to Exim Bank for financial support.
She commended the Hospital’s management and neurosurgical team, noting that a situation that initially appeared hopeless is now showing encouraging signs of recovery.
The Minister’s visit also highlighted another case that of 17-year-old Yao John Jibonu from Jasikan, who became temporarily paralysed after a freak accident. Yao was returning from the farm with friends when a log they had carried fell on his neck at home, causing a severe spinal cord injury.
He was first treated at the Jasikan Municipal Hospital before being transferred to TTH due to the seriousness of his condition. Doctors later confirmed a cervical spinal cord lesion caused by a bone compressing the spine, requiring urgent surgery.
Unable to afford the procedure, Yao’s family received support after the Hospital reached out to the Social Welfare Department. With funding from the NHIA and Exim Bank, the surgery was successfully performed. Doctors say the teenager is now recovering well and many of his initial symptoms have improved.
During her rounds, the Minister also assessed other critically ill children in the ward who may require social protection assistance. She further announced that Exim Bank has agreed to cover the medical expenses of another child with a severe brain injury.
Dr Abdul Aziz Mahama, a neurosurgeon at the TTH confirmed that the surgery was successfully carried out, and the young patient is now responding well to treatment.
He noted that the boy is recovering steadily and that several of the symptoms he initially presented with have significantly improved.
The Minister expressed gratitude to the hospital administration and staff for what she described as excellent care and strong patient.
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