Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has described as untrue, reports that Mr Erasmus Klutse, a Ghanaian medical student studying in Cuba, was denied medical attention leading to his death.

An executive member of the National Union of Students Ghana, Mr Eugene Oko, on Monday, 10 May 2021, told Class News that they lost one of their colleagues because the Cuban government failed to send an ambulance to him during a medical emergency.

The Ghanaian students, who are mostly sponsored by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat, also called on their government back home to come to their aid as they claim they live in terrible conditions in the Caribbean island.

It is also alleged that stipends for the students have been delayed for close to eight months.

However, speaking to the press after a meeting with the Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, Pedro Luiz Gonzalez on Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Accra, Ms Botchwey indicated that the student “was not denied any kind of medical attention. That is very important”. 

“There’s been few conflicting stories but I have received some briefs on the matter and I know that the relevant authorities are dealing with it, including the GNPC, who sponsored him but we’re keenly following what is happening and I would be grateful if you can share the full report with me so that I can, at least, know what exactly happened.”

For his part, the Cuban Ambassador to Ghana denied the claim that the student was denied medical attention when he met with Ms Botchwey to present a letter from the Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister.

Mr Gonzalez used the occasion to assure the country that Ghanaians in Cuba were safe and receive the necessary healthcare.

“Nobody [Ghanaian student] will be left unattended in Cuba in terms of medical care. That, I can assure you. We are all humans and this situation is very unfortunate but it is important that the media in Ghana know what actually happened”.

“I can assure you that he [Erasmus Klutse] received the best medical attention.”

The now-deceased student was a second-year medical student in Cuba on scholarship from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.