Nana Kwaku Bonsam asks Mahama and Ablakwa for help with US visa for face treatment

Pinned summary · as of 19:41

Traditional priest Nana Kwaku Bonsam has publicly appealed to Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and President John Dramani Mahama for assistance with the papers he needs to go to the United States for medical care. He made the request in a Facebook video, speaking Twi, and says the care concerns a scar on his face.

What we know

• Nana Kwaku Bonsam appealed to Mr Mahama and Mr Ablakwa for assistance in getting travel documents and a visa so that he can seek treatment in the United States.
• He made the plea in a video posted on Facebook, in which he spoke in Twi, according to the reports.
• The priest says he urgently requires a skin graft for a facial scar and hopes to have it at Harlem Hospital in the United States. He also says the wound makes it hard for him to sleep at night.
• He says part of his face was treated at a US hospital before, and he believes going back could improve his condition.
• Nana Kwaku Bonsam says a doctor recently prescribed drugs costing about GH₵6,200, that he finished taking them, and that his condition did not get better.
• His specific request is for a service passport, or else an official letter, that he can present when he approaches the US Embassy about a visa.
• He stated that he is not asking the government to cover his medical costs and that he is willing to fund the journey and treatment himself.
• MyJoyOnline reported that many people commenting under the video mocked him and asked why a man known for claiming special powers could not heal himself.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Chale News reported that, at the time of its report, neither the President's office nor the Foreign Affairs Ministry had responded publicly to the appeal. No response from either has been confirmed by other reports.
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  Chale News also reported that the priest fears new medicine might set off an allergic reaction, and that he wants a lasting cure instead of more drugs. Other reports have not carried this detail.

Why it matters for Ghana

The appeal puts a private medical request before two senior officials and raises the question of when a service passport or an official letter is given to a private citizen seeking a visa. It also shows how a personal health problem can draw heavy public comment once it is shared on social media in Ghana.