Ofori-Atta’s prostate cancer can be treated in Ghana; he’s just making excuses — Dr. Anaba

Member of Parliament for Garu, Dr. Thomas Anaba

The Member of Parliament for Garu, Dr. Thomas Anaba, has accused former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta of deliberately avoiding investigations by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) under the guise of seeking medical treatment abroad.

Professor Mrs. Angela Ofori-Atta, wife of the former minister, had earlier announced that her husband had undergone a successful prostate cancer surgery.

In a statement issued on Monday, June 16, she indicated that the robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy was carried out at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on Friday, June 13, and that he is currently receiving postoperative care.

However, reacting to the development on Accra-based Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show on Tuesday, June 17, Dr. Anaba, who is a former Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, said the condition can be treated in Ghana.

He believes the former minister is deliberately using his illness to avoid facing questions in the ongoing corruption-related investigations.

“Prostate cancer, what he has, can be managed in Ghana. That is why some of us think that, yes, he’s sick, but he’s using the sickness as a smokescreen and an excuse not to come home,” he said.

“That robotic prostatectomy they claim he underwent is nothing extraordinary. Even though Ghana doesn’t have the robots, our doctors can remove the prostate through the urethra or perform abdominal removal.”

He added, “Many people undergo cancer surgery in Ghana. Using prostate cancer as an excuse not to return to Ghana is unacceptable. That condition does not prevent you from boarding a flight.”

Dr. Anaba further stated, “I can tell you, Ridge Hospital—and even in Tamale, where I come from—there are good urologists who can manage this.”