Seven children undergo surgery after swallowing caustic soda
Only seven of the 50 children said to have accidentally swallowed caustic soda in the Ashanti Region have been successfully operated upon at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
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The remaining 43 risk losing their lives due to their state of malnourishment, which is preventing surgeons from carrying out surgery to correct the resultant deformities.
A paediatric surgeon at KATH, Dr Michael Amoah, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic last Saturday, said it would take between three and nine months to get the patients in proper shape to determine the extent of damage to their throats for successful surgeries to be conducted on them.
Beyond the problem of malnutrition, Dr Amoah said the absence of theatres had also delayed surgery on the children.
Background
Three months ago, the Daily Graphic broke the story about the plight of 50 children who needed surgery after drinking caustic soda which consequently affected their throats.
The children, who cannot take in solid food but only liquid through a special bypass in their abdomen, have been experiencing pain as their parents struggle to come to terms with the children’s predicament.
Dr Amoah said some parents had abandoned their suffering children at the hospital.
While visiting the seven children who had undergone successful surgery at KATH last Saturday, the Daily Graphic chanced on the Chief Executive Officer of N. N. EST Metal Company, Mr Nidal Nasser Eddine, who gave GHc115,000 in October to pay for surgery on some of the patients.
Mr Eddine, who was on a follow-up visit to the children, gave the hospital the green light to use part of the donation to feed the children, while he consulted his management team to top up the money for surgery to be carried out on more of the children.
