A tragic case of suspected medical negligence at Hohoe Government Hospital has resulted in the amputation of a premature baby's hand.

The baby's father, Joel Ofori, and uncle described how delays and oversight worsened the infant's condition after her birth.

The mother, a student midwife cramming for final exams, delivered prematurely on April 15, at Volta Regional Hospital in Hohoe.

Mr Ofori said the fragile newborn was placed in an incubator, and he had requested a transfer to Accra, where the family lives.

The doctor searched for a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) bed but found none available.

A week later, while breastfeeding, the mother spotted the baby's two middle fingers on her left hand turning blue.

She alerted a nurse, who removed the cannula from the hand. The next day, discolouration spread across the hand.

The mother informed paediatrician Dr Ashly, who dismissed it, saying “she’s a baby, it will subside and she will heal.”

When the condition deteriorated further, Hohoe arranged a referral to Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge).

Upon arrival, staff there said they had received no prior notice from Hohoe and declined admission, redirecting the family to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Korle-Bu admitted the baby for plastic surgery consultation.

The family resisted amputation and sought alternatives, but dry gangrene had set in tissue death from blood supply loss, turning the area black and dry.

Surgeons insisted on proceeding, stating the child “belonged to the state” and they would “proceed with the amputation even without the parents’ consent," and the hand was amputated.

The family has petitioned the Ghana Health Service, Health Facilities Regulatory Agency, Medical and Dental Council, and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice.

As stated in their letter, “The prospect of the child living with a lifelong disability is deeply distressing, with implications for her education, future opportunities, and the likelihood of costly surgeries in the future.”