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According to reports, the man, believed to be in his 50s, had climbed the electric pylon in an attempt to end his life on Tuesday, August 20.
The incident, reported by myjoyonline.com, occurred in Adjei Kojo, a community in the Tema West Municipality near Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region.
A source told the news website that the man, whose identity has not been disclosed for obvious reasons, decided to commit suicide because he could not afford the cost of his medication.
“When I got the disease, I went to a health centre at Ashaiman Polyclinic, and they referred me to Tema General Hospital. At Tema General Hospital, they also directed me to go to UGMC. I have walked for a while now, and I’m tired. I don’t know what to do. I decided to go there, but they told me I wouldn’t be able to pay the bills,” the man said, as quoted by myjoyonline.com.
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Heartwarmingly, the personnel who saved him reportedly pledged to support him in paying for his kidney treatment.
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File photo: Kidney patient
The high cost of treatment, insufficient infrastructure, and limited health insurance coverage are among the myriad challenges faced by people with kidney disease in Ghana. Subsidies from the central government to ease the financial burden on patients are often insufficient and overdue, leading to some renal units in hospitals shutting down their services and turning away patients. As a result, some kidney patients have lost their lives, while others have seen their conditions worsen due to these challenges.