Ghanaian woman in coma denied medical care in London
For the past two weeks, Emelia Frimpong, 28, has been at the Whipps Cross University Hospital in North London without treatment. The hospital authorities are waiting for ‘cash down’ before treatment could begin on her condition, which has been diagnosed as tuberculosis of the bone.
Last Monday, her condition deteriorated and she has since been in coma.
Ms Frimpong has been bedridden since February this year after a long admission at the Royal London Hospital in East London.
UK immigration laws do not favour illegal immigrants who seek medical treatment without paying for the service.
Ms Frimpong, who has apparently overstayed her entry clearance for about a year, entered the UK for a visit about six years ago but was taken ill shortly afterwards.
Friends and well-wishers have applied to regularise her stay in the UK on compassionate and health grounds but the Home Office has not responded to the application.
It was learnt that attempts were also made by the UK immigration authorities to remove Ms Frimpong from the hospital because she had flouted the country’s immigration laws, despite her worsening conditions.
Those attempts were, however, thwarted by some health authorities who failed to sign the removal documents at the hospital.
Mr Percy Kobbina, a well-wisher, told the Daily Graphic that Emelia, who is also known as Emelia Cromwell, a former student of the Ghana National College in Cape Coast, was treated during the early stages of the disease.
“The issue of immigration documentation came in when she needed therapy and other forms of expensive medication,” he noted.
He said before the illness, Ms Frimpong had enrolled at the South Bank University to read Education because “she wanted to be a teacher to regularise her stay”.
Efforts to mobilise funds for her return by well-wishers proved futile until her life was threatened before a Good Samaritan informed the Ghana High Commission of her situation.
At the Currie Ward of the hospital, Emelia, who is believed to come from Saltpond in the Central Region, lay flat and helpless, without any attention from health workers.
The hospital authorities are demanding an undisclosed amount of money (deposit) before attention could be given to the dying woman.
The Ghanaian community in the UK has condemned the action of the hospital, with some of them wondering why the National Health Service (NHS) of the UK did not have room for such situations, in view of the heterogeneous nature of the country.
The Ghana High Commission in the UK has acted promptly to save the situation.
The High Commissioner, Mr Annan Cato, told the Daily Graphic that Emelia’s family and the government of Ghana had been informed about her condition and that he was anxiously waiting for a response.
He said the High Commission could only act on instructions from Accra and perhaps the response from the family, adding that “unfortunately, the government does not make funds available to the embassies for such purposes.
Hitherto, missions’ budgets included such moneys but I am afraid not now,” he said.
Mr Cato revealed that the Ghana government always requested the families of such victims to provide funds, while it made travel arrangements to get the victims back home or helped them continue with medication in the country of incident.
When asked what would happen if the family did not have anything to provide, he said that was a hypothetical question, “but we shall all help in our own small way to rescue the situation”.
He was also quick to add that the situation called for a swift intervention from the government but expressed the concern that “this must be an isolated case because immediately you do it for her, many more demands will come now or in the future and the precedent today will not help all of us”.
The High Commissioner expressed optimism that the UK authorities would not remove Emelia, given her present condition, and wished her speedy recovery.
For the past 24 hours, the Daily Graphic has been making frantic efforts to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the issue from the hospital authorities but to no avail.
Source: Daily Graphic
not again, they killed ama sumanu and now they want to kill another ghanaian ? I said it before the ghana embassy in london should be closed, all of this is happening again and go to the embassy, you will see them seating there watching agya koo jokes, we shouldn't let the british government let this woman die, to the british government all I will like to tell them now is God bless america where every living thing even animals are entitled to emmergency medical care, I'm really touched by this story
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O No not again please NPP government help save Ms Emelia's life please. That it means that there is going to be another death or what?NPP government is not doing anything to help people they are rather enjoying themselves why can't they bring the amount out for us Ghanaians to help in our little way we Ghanaians are kind hearted people and we will help to save Ms Emelia's life they should come out with the amount for anybody who can donate something to do his or her best.We can't allow them send Ms Emelia back home i don't agree with Mr. Cato's statement that if the government help everybody will come out for help yes we have to come out for help because a nation helps so why this cry Mr.Cato?Imagining your relative to be Ms Emelia will you say that?please NPP the better you help people the best for you to get people's votes remember it is election year you know.Please help NPP GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!!!
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IT IS REALLY PATHETIC THAT PEOPLE SHOULD IGNORE ONE'S PRESCIOUS LIFE JUST BECAUSE ONE IS FOUND ILLEGAL IN THE HOST COUNTRY WHERE THIS ILLNESS HAS OCCURED. MY QUESTION THEN IS: WHY SHOULD BRITAIN HAVE TO ALLOCATE BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF POUNDS TO FINANCE A WAR THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY FROM HER BORDERS JUST IN THE NAME OF FREEING A SUFFERING PEOPLE WHILST ONE LIES DEAD IN HER HER OWN LAND AND WON'T SPEND A DIME AT LEAST TO CURE HER, THEN OF COURSE, REMOVE HER OR EVEN JAIL HER IF THEY WANT?. AND MR GHANA HIGH COMMISSIONER, SO CAN'T U TAKE SOME FEW 1000S OF PDS OUT OF THE FORTUNE YOU ARE MAKING HERE IN THE UK JUST FOR THE MOTIVE OF SAVING A HUMAN BEING? SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE APART FROM BEING DRIVEN UP AND DOWN LONDON FOR MEETINGS AND UNNECESSARY CONFERENCES ON THE SWEAT OF THE POOR GHANAIAN BACK HOME, INCLUDING MS FRIMPONG'S OWN FATHER?. PLZ DO SOMETHING AND SAVE THIS LADY AND WE WILL ALL PLAUD YOUR GOODNESS. HOPE YOU READ THIS. GOD BLESS YOU.
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I am really touched by this story. Well all that I hope for is; The Ghana union or the organization of the Ghanaian residing in UK could take care of this if the other channels are too slow.
I am sure the Ghanaian embassy is also not sitting idle. I am sure there are taking the appropriate channels.
TK
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