The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has denied reports that a Ghanaian medical student who died in Cuba was denied medical care.
According to initial reports, the student, Emmanuel Klutse died from medical neglect.
Speaking to the press after a meeting with the Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, Pedro Luiz Gonzalez at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Accra, Ms Botchwey indicated “he was not denied any kind of medical attention. That is very important.”
”There’s been few conflicting stories but I have received some briefs on the matter and I know that the relevant authorities are dealing with it including the GNPC who sponsored him but we’re keenly following what is happening and I would be grateful if you can share the full report with me so that I can at least know what exactly happened.”
For his part the Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, Pedro Luiz Gonzalez denied the claim the Ghanaian was denied medical attention when he met with Ms Botchwey to present a letter from the Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister.
The Cuban Ambassador to Ghana used the occasion to assure Ghanaians that its citizens in Cuba are safe and receive the necessary healthcare.
“Nobody (Ghanaian student) will be left unattended in Cuba in terms of medical care, that I can assure you. We are all humans and this situation is very unfortunate but it is important that the media in Ghana knows what actually happened. I can assure you that he (Erasmus Klutse) received the best medical attention.”
An executive member of the National Union of Students Ghana Mr Eugene Oko on Monday, 10 May 2021 told Class News that they lost one of their colleagues because the Cuban government failed to send an ambulance to him during a medical emergency.
The students, who are mostly sponsored by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat also called on their government back home to come to their aid as they claim they live in terrible conditions in the Caribbean island.
