Realities of child kidney patients documentary: 3-year-old Kwabena Boahene dies

Three-year-old Kwabena Boahene, a child kidney patient featured in The Fourth Estate’s documentary, ‘Dying Young: Tragic Realities of Child Kidney Patients,’ has sadly passed away.

Dr Beatrice Irene Nyann, a pediatric nephrologist at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, confirmed his death to The Fourth Estate on Monday, stating that he suffered a heart failure due to elevated blood pressure and dire kidney complications.

“He had a cardiac arrest. His blood pressure had also gone up which affected the kidneys. He subsequently had heart failure and died,” she revealed.

Kwabena is the third child to die since the documentary production began.

Pona Laapa

Nine-year-old Pona Laapa, a pupil at Nadundo Roman Catholic Basic School in the Mion District, and 15-year-old Feruza Alhassan also succumbed to their conditions due to the lack of child-specific hemodialysis machines and appropriate treatment.

Many children in Ghana face similar challenges as major healthcare facilities lack pediatric dialysis machines, making the treatment extremely difficult and painful for them.

Kwabena Boahene, a nursery two pupil, struggled with kidney function issues that required strict dietary restrictions. His mother, Hagar Ofori, emphasises the need for immediate government action to prevent further loss of lives among children in need of dialysis.

“The government must act now to save the lives of surviving children. I don’t think dialysis machines for children should cost the state a fortune. My child is gone, but another’s can’t go due to our negligence,” she noted.

Child kidney disease

It is uncommon for children to be diagnosed with kidney disease, which many erroneously believe affect only adults. But health experts say a growing number of children in Ghana are being diagnosed with kidney disease.

Dr Anima Sarfo, a pediatric specialist at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, who spoke to The Fourth Estate, said kidney diseases in children encompass a wide range of conditions, noting that some are congenital, meaning they are present at birth, while others are acquired, meaning they develop later in life.

Factors such as the lack of dialysis centres and the prioritisation of care for adults are leading to avoidable deaths among children with kidney disease.

According to the research, about 99 percent of Ghana’s healthcare facilities do not have hemodialysis machines specifically designed for children under five.

Even for children over five, the few available machines in certain regions are intended for adults, yet they are used for children, increasing the risk of death.