Deputy Lands Minister pays medical bill for 'Hole in Heart' patient

The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi has paid a medical bill for a 14-year old 'hole in heart' patient, Josephine Adjei Yeboah to undergo a surgical operation at the Cardiothoracic Center at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Josephine was diagnosed with the disease after being admitted to the Hospital during the early part of 2017.

She has since been lying on her sick bed since her parents have been unable to foot the GHC40,000 bill needed for the surgery.

During a short ceremony held at Prestea, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi disclosed after hearing of the situation from the patient's mother she decided to come to her aid by pleading with the doctors to reduce the bill and succeeded in getting it slashed to GHC20,000.

"When the mother informed me about the situation I became so worried and I have to quickly see Dr. Lawrence Serebour and other doctors to see what we can do to help the child and they listened to my cries and reduced the total cost to 50%", she stated.

The Member of Parliament for Prestia Huni-Valley over the weekend presented a cheque of GHC20,000 to the mother of the patient at Prestea.

She thanked Dr. Lawrence Serebour, the Director of National Cardiothoracic Center at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for the kind consideration given the patient.

She used the occasion to ask her constituents to pray for the patient so she can have a successful surgery.

"It is my prayer that God will give her life and grow and become a great personality in future", she prayed.

Barbara Oteng-Gyasi pledged her commitment to initiate more health programmes to support her constituents.

On her part, the mother of the patient, Helena Afriyie expressed her profound appreciation to the MP for the kind gesture given to the family.

She said that the amount quoted by doctors was too huge for her to pay to save her daughter from dying but added that God has been kind to her for making the MP come to their aid.

"May Almighty God bless Lawyer Barbara Oteng-Gyasi for listening to our cries and giving us this huge amount to save the life of our daughter, today is my daughter's birthday," she said emotionally.

She added "my daughter was diagnosed with 'hole in heart' last year and has been on the sick bed all this while. I have been looking for help and it was one day that I called my MP to inform her and she also promised to support my daughter. The MP has honoured her promise, I don't know what to say and I'm very happy today and I pray that my daughter will go through a successful surgery".

Members of the constituency extended their appreciation to the MP for stepping in to save the life of the child and also requested from other individuals and corporate institutions to come on board and support the MP to raise funds to enable needy children undergo surgeries, enroll them unto the NHIS as well as pay hospital bills if any parent who might need support.