A grieving father has narrated the painful chain of events that led to the death of his newborn baby girl after she was transported in a taxi with an oxygen cylinder due to limited medical resources in the Asunafo South District of the Ahafo Region.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Kwabena Sintim said his wife went into labour at Siana near Nobeko in the early hours of Tuesday.
“I was at home when I received a call around 8:30 am that she had safely delivered. As a first-time father, I was so excited and rushed to the facility to see them,” he recounted.
However, his joy quickly turned into anxiety when health workers told him the baby’s breathing was unstable and required urgent referral.
“When I arrived, they said my baby’s breathing wasn’t regular and she had to be transferred to Kukuom,” he said.
With no proper ambulance support available at Nobeko, the family and health staff transported the baby on a tricycle from Nobeko to Kukuom, using an oxygen tank to assist her.
But the situation worsened on arrival.
“At the Asunafo District Hospital in Kukuom, we had to move again. We called for an ambulance, but we were told there was no oxygen in it. I was shocked, but my priority was to save my child,” Mr. Sintim explained.
Left with no option, they hired a taxi and improvised space for the oxygen cylinder.
“We collapsed one of the seats to make room for the oxygen tank. A doctor and a nurse were inside helping the baby, another staff supported the tank from the boot, and I sat in front,” he said.
The journey, he added, was distressing.
“Anytime the car passed a ramp, the fluid in the oxygen tank splashed into her nostrils. The staff tried their best to keep her stable,” he narrated.
After the long transfer, the baby was finally admitted to the Goaso Municipal Hospital and placed in an incubator.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, the infant could not survive.
“It was Wednesday evening when we received the call that she had passed,” Mr. Sintim said quietly.
The incident has renewed public concern about the state of emergency medical care in parts of the Ahafo Region, particularly the lack of functional ambulances, oxygen supply, and neonatal equipment at district facilities.
Mr. Sintim has appealed to relevant authorities to urgently improve logistics and referral systems to prevent similar tragedies, especially for vulnerable newborns and expectant mothers.
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