Dialysis Crisis: 15-year-old patient who appealed for government support passes on

Dialysis Crisis: 15-year-old patient who appealed for govt support 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 she saw her daughter, Priscilla, bloating on the day of her passing.

She added that, 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 the school had noted some unusual changes in Priscilla days before her passing and sent her home to her parents.

According to him, there was a delay in sending her to the hospital immediately because her mother 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, Priscilla’s mother noted that her daughter’s death came just a month after she started her dialysis treatment.

She said had her daughter survived, the family would have needed about GH¢‎1000 every week for her dialysis treatment.

Madam Ruth indicated that, even in this short period, the family has accumulated a lot of debt in their bid to help her daughter seek treatment.

The distraught mother said 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.

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The young Junior High School (JHS) 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.