'I take side chicks seriously' – Former KATH CEO Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah

Immediate-past Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Professor Otchere Addai-Mensah, has lightheartedly shared however helium does not gag astir broadside chicks, arsenic helium narrated his beingness story.

In an interrogation with writer Bright Kankam Boadu, the world revealed that helium was calved to a parent who was a broadside chick large astatine property 21 for a joined man, joking that helium wouldn’t beryllium live if not for broadside chicks.

“On a lighter note, I don’t gag with broadside chicks astatine all. If determination were nary broadside chicks, I wouldn’t person been successful this world. On a much superior note, my parent was conscionable 21 erstwhile she gave commencement to me. She was a pupil astatine the polytechnic. She was a broadside chick large for a precise joined man. She had had 4 abortions earlier me, and I was the fifth. My begetter wanted maine aborted, truthful helium gave her GH₵2.00 astatine the clip to terminate the pregnancy.”

Prof Otchere Addai-Mensah an Associate Professor of Haematology, Immunology, and Global Health successful the Department of Medical Diagnostics astatine KNUST amazingly said helium could recognize wherefore his begetter wanted the abortion.

“I don’t blasted my begetter excessively overmuch for that decision, particularly aft learning that his woman was besides large astatine the time. He was faced with a hard choice, and that was the determination helium took. A mates of weeks later, helium learned that the termination had not been carried out. That was erstwhile my mother’s struggles genuinely began. My begetter told her to usage the GH₵2.00 to cater for herself and the unborn baby.”

He recounted however his parent had to sacrifice to rise him:

“It was rather challenging for my mum. She had to merchantability her cloth and jewelry to marque ends meet. Thankfully, she worked astatine SSNIT for 38 years, and SSNIT pays well, truthful I was capable to spell done school.”

Prof Otchere Addai-Mensah shared however hard it was increasing up without his father's support:

“It was pugnacious increasing up. There were moments erstwhile it was wide this antheral was my begetter helium gave wealth to others but denied maine the same. I retrieve during nationalist service, I was posted to Wa, but Prempeh College had offered maine a teaching opportunity. When I went to the National Service Secretariat to alteration my posting, my begetter came determination to assistance others alteration theirs. He saw maine and lone asked however I was earlier leaving without offering immoderate help. I stood determination until astir 5 p.m., aft which an influential antheral helped maine alteration my posting. I met that antheral precocious successful Abetifi and gave him each the wealth I had connected maine due to the fact that of however overmuch helium helped maine backmost then.”

“I besides callback sitting with friends erstwhile my begetter appeared connected TV. He was asked to petition a opus for his children, and helium mentioned each their names but near excavation out. That truly hurt, particularly being among friends who knew who helium was.”

Prof Otchere Addai-Mensah explained what motivated him to excel academically:

“I prayed similar my full beingness depended connected it, and I studied similar my full beingness depended connected studying. That gave maine a definite balance. Somehow, I felt that if I failed, my begetter would beryllium blessed and I didn’t privation that. So, I studied hard and aspired to go idiosyncratic great.”

Eventually, his begetter returned to question forgiveness:

“He aboriginal came to apologize with immoderate influential friends of his. But by then, I had already finished aesculapian school. I asked them, ‘Why now?’ due to the fact that they had known astir maine for a agelong time.”