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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Plea for Ghanaian woman's return | Plea for Ghanaian woman's return |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Ghana's High Commissioner in London has appealed to Britain to reverse its decision to fly a terminally ill woman back to the African country. | Ghana's High Commissioner in London has appealed to Britain to reverse its decision to fly a terminally ill woman back to the African country. |
| Ama Sumani was taken from a Cardiff hospital on Wednesday where she has been receiving dialysis after cancer damaged her kidneys. | Ama Sumani was taken from a Cardiff hospital on Wednesday where she has been receiving dialysis after cancer damaged her kidneys. |
| Ms Sumani, 39, whose visa has expired, says she cannot afford care in Ghana. | Ms Sumani, 39, whose visa has expired, says she cannot afford care in Ghana. |
| High Commissioner Annan Cato urged the government on Radio Four's The World Tonight to allow her back to the UK. | High Commissioner Annan Cato urged the government on Radio Four's The World Tonight to allow her back to the UK. |
| He said the decision to deport her was regrettable and he appealed to the UK, which he said he considered to be a "very compassionate country". | He said the decision to deport her was regrettable and he appealed to the UK, which he said he considered to be a "very compassionate country". |
| Mr Cato said: "Even now I don't think it is too late for them to reconsider their position to allow her to come back and receive treatment. I would appeal to them to do so. | |
| 'Compassionate cases' | |
| "I would plead that this lady come back and receive treatment in the UK. The UK has in the past done this for many, many people and I am confident they could do it again." | "I would plead that this lady come back and receive treatment in the UK. The UK has in the past done this for many, many people and I am confident they could do it again." |
| We will want to know who made this decision and why Keith Vaz MP | |
| The Commons home affairs committee says it intends questioning the head of the Border and Immigration Service, Lin Homer, about Mrs Sumani's deportation. | |
| Committee chairman Keith Vaz described the deportation decision as "astonishing". | |
| "We hope to hear a full explanation from Lin Homer about this extraordinary decision. Of course there have to be rules governing the right to remain in this country," Mr Vaz said. | |
| "But there is also the issue of ministerial discretion in compassionate cases. The decision to remove some people and not others is becoming arbitrary and unfair... | |
| "They just seem to be acting tough on the wrong cases. We will want to know who made this decision and why." | |
| Kidney damage | |
| UK officials said they had checked medical treatment was available in Ghana before she was flown home. | UK officials said they had checked medical treatment was available in Ghana before she was flown home. |
| Less than 24 hours after being removed from the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Mrs Sumani attended the main hospital in Accra, Ghana's capital city. | Less than 24 hours after being removed from the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Mrs Sumani attended the main hospital in Accra, Ghana's capital city. |
| The mother-of-two said the hospital had then asked for the equivalent of about $6,000 (£3,060) to cover her kidney dialysis sessions for the next three months. | The mother-of-two said the hospital had then asked for the equivalent of about $6,000 (£3,060) to cover her kidney dialysis sessions for the next three months. |
| A hospital official in Ghana said Mrs Sumani had been accompanied by British immigration officials who had offered to pay for the first three months' treatment. | A hospital official in Ghana said Mrs Sumani had been accompanied by British immigration officials who had offered to pay for the first three months' treatment. |
| However, he said the hospital could not help her as she had no source of funding for the ongoing medical care she required. | However, he said the hospital could not help her as she had no source of funding for the ongoing medical care she required. |
| Mrs Sumani, who has a type of cancer - malignant myeloma - which has damaged her kidneys, had been receiving dialysis three times a week in the UK before she was sent home with an expired visa. | Mrs Sumani, who has a type of cancer - malignant myeloma - which has damaged her kidneys, had been receiving dialysis three times a week in the UK before she was sent home with an expired visa. |
| Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris, who co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Kidney Group, said he was "appalled by the callous conduct of the Home Office." | Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris, who co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Kidney Group, said he was "appalled by the callous conduct of the Home Office." |
| "If the Home Office is willing to pay £3,000 for treatment plus thousands more pounds for her removal, they may well as well have paid for her treatment here at least until they had confirmed that she would get treatment in Ghana," Dr Harris said. | "If the Home Office is willing to pay £3,000 for treatment plus thousands more pounds for her removal, they may well as well have paid for her treatment here at least until they had confirmed that she would get treatment in Ghana," Dr Harris said. |