Desperate parents of a three-year-old boy who suffered acute throat pain after mistakenly ingesting the caustic soda used for soap making resorted to feeding the toddler through his anus to avoid exacerbating the injuries to his throat.
Doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) say surgery is the only option left to save the little boy’s life.
His father, Razak Anaba, who hails from Nyame Bekyere near Asakrangwa in the Western Region, justified his actions, which doctors described as crude.
The toddler, Yakubu Razak, lost the ability to eat for about a year. His parents therefore resorted to feeding him through the anus by administering liquid foods using a syringe bulb known in local parlance as “bentoa”.
Dr. Boateng Animako, head of the paediatric surgery unit at KATH, told Nhyira News’ Ohemeng Tawiah that extensive surgery is needed to alleviate the boy’s predicament.
Doctors at the hospital have, as a stop gap measure, created a passage in Yakubu’s rib region in the upper part of his body for feeding purposes.
They expressed worry about some parents’ apathetic attitudes towards the safety of their children in spite of increased public education.
Health officials at KATH revealed that about 25 cases of toddlers feeding on hazardous substances were recorded at the hospital in 2012.
