Drama over Aliu Mahama!

Doctors at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) have described the medical condition of former Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama as critical, and he is currently on life support.

The doctors and his family have however denied claims that swept through the country yesterday like a Tsunami that he had died, even though they conceded that he was in a critical condition now and unable to breathe by himself.

This follows speculations on social media and some radio stations that Aliu Mahama, who is on admission at the Cardiothoracic Centre, had died.

Media networks which placed the news on their website quickly removed them a few minutes later as the dramatic situation unfolded.

Officials are tight-lipped about his condition, but sources told Daily Guide that the former vice president was sent to the centre a week ago after suffering from undisclosed heart related ailment.

A medical official at the Cardio Centre, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Guide that Aliu Mahama was suffering from a combination of ailments that made his situation complicated.

According to the source, Aliu Mahama was also on a ventilator.

When Daily Guide visited the Cardio Centre yesterday, family members, Samuel Kojo Crimping, aide to Aliu Mahama, and Professor Nii Otu Nartey, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KBTH, were at the intensive Care Unit of the centre to monitor the condition of the former vice president.

Professor Nartey said though Aliu Mahama was in a critical condition, doctors were trying to stabilize him.

“Although the former vice president has been on admission at KBTH for about a week now, his condition is critical and a team of doctors from various units of the hospital is working on him, and we are sure he would pull through from his current condition,” he said.

Breathing Problems

Additional reports gathered at press time indicated that his doctors were busily working around the clock to “stabilize” him so that he could be transferred abroad for medical treatment, the CEO of the hospital, Professor Nii Otu Nartey, told Joy Fm news.

He debunked various media reports suggesting that the former vice president had passed away.

“The former vice president is still alive, and we are working very hard to make sure that we get over this difficult stage”.

Though Prof. Otu Nartey maintained that the former vice president was in a “critical condition”, he said a “team of doctors is working on him; we hope he will pull through.”

The CEO who would not talk about the kind of sickness he is being treated for confirmed Alhaji Aliu Mahama “has a breathing problem” and was being taken care of to ensure that he was able to take over-thus breathing without the support of a machine.

He said the hospital had been in contact with hospitals outside and was certain former Vice President Aliu Mahama could soon be flown to Germany or the UK for treatment.