Accra: A newborn baby girl has died in the Asunafo South District of the Ahafo Region after being transported in a taxi with an oxygen cylinder due to limited medical resources.
According to Ghana Web, the baby's father, Kwabena Sintim, reported that his wife went into labor at Siana near Nobeko in the early hours of Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Sintim expressed his initial excitement upon hearing of the safe delivery around 8:30 am, but this soon turned to anxiety when health workers informed him of the baby's irregular breathing and the need for a transfer to a better-equipped facility.
With no ambulance available at Nobeko, the family and health staff resorted to transporting the newborn on a tricycle to Kukuom, using an oxygen tank to support her breathing. Upon reaching the Asunafo District Hospital in Kukuom, they faced another challenge as the ambulance lacked oxygen, prompting them to hire a taxi and make space for the oxygen cylinder.
Sintim described the journey as distressing, highlighting that the car's movements caused the fluid in the oxygen tank to splash into the baby's nostrils, despite the efforts of the attending medical staff. Unfortunately, even after being admitted to the Goaso Municipal Hospital and placed in an incubator, the baby could not survive.
Sintim has urged relevant authorities to improve logistics and referral systems to prevent similar tragedies, particularly for vulnerable newborns and expectant mothers. This incident underscores the challenges in emergency medical care within parts of the Ahafo Region, where limited ambulance services and essential equipment can jeopardize lives.