Red tape stalls kidney donation by Ghanese brother

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Red tape stalls kidney donation by Ghanese brother
 
By Kent Spencer, The ProvinceMay 30, 2009 8:44 AM

Vancouver welder Ibrahim Essandoh has a donor-kidney waiting for him in West Africa, but it may as well be on Mars.

The longtime Canadian citizen said yesterday the federal government won’t let his donor-brother Tom Essandoh into the country from Ghana.

“It’s a perfect match, but they don’t believe Tom is my brother,” said Essandoh, 44. “They think I’m paying him for his kidney.”

Essandoh, who is supported by his wife, said the stress of raising three children is getting to him.

“We are having a hard time. I’m not crying. I’m trying to deal with this as best I can and survive. I’m trying to keep my spirits up,” he said.

“I can’t work. I don’t have the strength to support my children.”

His kidneys failed two years ago; treatments require dialysis three times a week at St. Paul’s Hospital.

His brother’s visa application, which has been in the works for six months, has been refused once.

A second application has been made. Essandoh said he’s beginning to think Canadian embassy officials are “inhumane.”

“It’s ridiculous. The embassy is playing a game here. It’s too frustrating,” he said.

“What kind of Canadians are they in the embassy? I don’t respect them as human beings. Tom is worried. He wants to come over,” he said. Essandoh said his wife and children are also concerned.

“No one is very happy. Anyone who has been sick knows how it feels,” he said.

Essandoh has a letter of support from Dr. David Landsberg at St. Paul’s Hospital, who wants a transplant as soon as possible.

The Ghana Canadian Association of B.C. is also behind him. “We see this as an attempt to deny a perfect donor match,” said association president Charles Quist-Adade.

“Immigration Canada’s concerns are a red herring. The Minister [Jason Kenney] must act. This is a humanitarian issue.”

Immigration Canada spokesman Ben Letts said the department is working to establish whether Tom is his real brother.

“We had a few concerns about the brother’s documentation,” said Letts. A DNA test has been ordered to see if the pair match.

Tom’s sample, which has not been obtained, will take about six weeks to process.

“If we can establish they’re brothers, there’s little doubt the application will be approved,” Letts said. “We do this to protect the health and safety of Canadians.”

Ken Donohue of the B.C. Transplant Society said some donors are allowed in and some aren’t.

“His situation isn’t uncommon. We are a country of immigrants so it’s natural that donors come from outside the country. Legitimate people get caught up in the system.

“Immigration Canada needs to make sure donors are coming to Canada for the reasons they say they are and not so they can stay in the country after they donate,” he said.

There have been 57 out-of-country donations in B.C. in the last 10 years, but just one of them has come from Africa.

http://www.theprovince.com/Health/tape+stalls+kidney+donation+Ghanese+brother/1640559/story.html