A 22-year-old mother, Deborah Appiah a.k.a Yaa Duah has abandoned her one-day-old baby girl at the St. Francis Hospital in the Assin Fosu Municipality of the Central Region.

The mother of four is said to have delivered at Assin Fosu Policlinic but the nurses noticed the newborn baby had an umbilical mass which was covered by a peritoneal sac and thus referred her to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), at St. Francis Hospital on account of Omphalocele.


The mother realizing the condition of the baby inexplicably absconded and abandoned the baby.

According to the doctor of the facility, Agbematu Emmanuel, the baby will need surgical intervention to survive since the overlying peritoneum is infected and discharging offensive serious fluids.

Additionally, the management of the St. Francis Hospital has arranged for referral to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for the surgery since the baby’s condition is deteriorating.

The cost of the surgery is approximately GH¢3,000.00 but the baby is still in custody due to financial constraints of the family.

Also, the In-charge of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Ms. Vivian Kodia said they informed the police about it and a tip-off led to the arrest of the mother after 4 days at Assin Dompim.

However, considering the condition of the newborn baby and the economic situation of the mother, Yaa Dua, the police granted her bail upon the doctor’s advice but was charged with abandoning the baby and exposing her to harm.

The 22-year-old unemployed single mother of four in an interview explained that she never intended to disappear and abandon the baby but was rather searching for money for her child’s surgery until the police arrested her.

She, therefore, appealed to the general public to support her raise the money for the surgery in order to save the baby’s life.