Husband abandons wife for delivering quadruplets

GHANA – What could have been proud news for a father turned sour as a husband allegedly abandoned his 27-year-old wife at the Bibiani Municipal Hospital in the Western North Region, after realising she was carrying quadruplets, which she delivered last Sunday [July 19, 2020].

George Ackah, who is said to be a cleaner with a private firm outside his community, Sefwi Adukrom, has not returned to the hospital since his wife was admitted about five weeks ago.

The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Kwesi Adu-Gyamfi, told Graphic Online that the woman was referred from a private facility due to her critical condition.

“After receiving her, I assigned a medical officer to her permanently, we followed her until the 31-weeks where we admitted her and then to 36-weeks when she delivered.”

“I must say that from the time of admission to the time of delivery, the husband who she said is a cleaner in a private firm, did not pass by the hospital nor answer his calls,” he said.

The unemployed wife, who lives with Ackah in Sefwi Adukrom, a farming community, already has two children with the man before the arrival of the quadruplets.

She has, therefore, been left at the mercy of doctors, midwives and other health workers, who did their best to cater for the babies and their mother.

The health workers at the Bibiani Municipal Hospital in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai municipality, said after the delivery at about 11 a.m. last Sunday (July 19), they had to contribute to get the basic items needed for the upkeep of the children and the feeding of their mother.

Dr Adu-Gyamfi said the mother of the quadruplets first reported for antenatal at a private facility, where initial scan revealed triplets.

“After we performed thorough assessment with further scans we realised they were quadruplets,” he said.

“For proper care, we adopted what we call Focus Antenatal; we assigned a midwife to the woman, but after some time we did not hear from her again, her phone was also not going through,” he said.

Dr Adu-Gyamfi said the mother of the quadruplets went back to the private facility she initially reported to at an anaemic stage and was immediately referred to the municipal hospital.

Asked how her bills and other needs were covered, Dr Adu-Gyamfi said, “From the day she was admitted, all her needs were covered by contributions of the hospital staff, the midwives and the doctors.”

Call for support

Upon hearing of the plight of the woman, the running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has supported the woman with GH¢2,000 and promised to do more.

The Member of Parliament for Ellembelle and former Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, who presented the donation on behalf of Prof. Opoku-Agyemang, said she was touched by the plight of the woman.

The hospital administration has also called on members of the public to support the woman and her four children.

Dr Adu-Gyamfi mentioned some of the items needed for the upkeep as diapers, cloths, toiletries and detergents.

Source: Daily Graphic