Report On Abandoned Woman In Bush Finally Ready But…
The Health Ministry, has confirmed receipt of a final report from a five-member committee constituted to probe into the alleged abandonment of a patient in a bush, at Gomoa Ojobi in the Central Region, which led to the death of the patient.
It, follows the submission of the report by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) led committee, comprising the Deputy Director-General of the Service, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon from the Ridge Hospital, representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Social Welfare Department, and a senior Nurse Manager.
This was after the Committee, failed to meet the 30 days period given to the GHS to carry out the probe, from the date of the constitution of the committee on June 14, to the submission of the report.
Even though the report is ready, the Health Ministry, said they are now studying it, but promised to come out next week to update the public on the findings, recommendations and the implementation processes.
They were tasked to determine the full circumstances of the case and recommend appropriate actions.
Plea For Patience
Speaking to The Anchor yesterday, September 16, on the issue that broke the hearts of many, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry, Isaac Baah Offei, pleaded with the public to exercise restraint, assuring by next week, the ministry will make the details public.
The Anchor, was told in an exclusive interview that, the report has been submitted directly to the Health Minister, Dr Bernard Oko Boye and the Chief Director at the Ministry.
The ministry, said the report has not been released, because it has broad and far-reaching recommendations that require thorough implementation to prevent a repeat of that incident
“The ministry received the report from the Ghana Health Service, but the report came with a lot of recommendations so the recommendations itself has to have other groups to look into sanctions that are attached.
When I say sanction, it could be to human or to profession or operation systems when it comes to who to see from which stage to which stage, all those things are part of the sanctions.
And so, the Chief Director and the minister Hon. Bernard Okoe Boye are in-charge of this report and as soon as possible there will be a communication from the Ministry of Health, giving directives to how that report should be treated and the communications, will be made public for people to see what it contain”, he told this paper.
Tightlipped
Mr Baah Offei, who will not go into the report, said he does not want to preempt what the statement yet to be released to the public, will contain.
“When you want to come up with some recommendation of this nature, you don’t need to come out and say something, so that tomorrow you will come back and say that I did not take my time to assess it.
The report was made by a Committee that made a number of recommendations so this recommendations are going to a particular group to be able to implement the recommendations. If you don’t take your time and you want to run early out there, it will get to some other group and you realize that the law does not permit you to go this way or the regulation does permit you to move in that direction,” he stated.
According to him, “We will plead that you wait for the official communication which contain the recommendations and sanctions that will be attached to it. Hopefully by next week we will come out”.
Medical Director’s Suspension
When asked about the status of the suspended Medical Director at the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Dr George Prah, the PRO, said the senior officer, has not been called back.
“He is still on suspension, he has not been called. That alone should indicate that the sanctions or the implementations are in progress because, granted that the medical superintendent was called back to work without the ministry telling the public anything, that one would be a bit awkward but the fact that the medical superintendent is still on suspension that alone should tell you that the ministry is enforcing the recommendations”.
Remains of the Patient
Mr Baah Offei, will also not tell where the remains of the deceased is, or disclose if her family, has come forward to claim her body for burial.
Recall early June, Ghanaians were hit with news of the bizarre death of the unnamed woman. The deceased apparently had been abandoned in the bush in a wheelchair by the hospital officials without food or water. She slept in the lonely bush for about a week before she finally gave up.
The old woman reportedly died on Monday [June 10, 2024].
Photos and videos shared from where she was abandoned, showed a woman with P.O.P. on both legs, lying down with a wheelchair by her side,
Some eyewitnesses alleged they saw staff from the Ambulance Service, removing the said old woman from an ambulance and dumping her by the roadside.
She died a week after hanging and lying at the spot she was reportedly dumped. The Health Service, had in the wake of the brouhaha issued a statement announcing the probe ordered by Dr Boye, the Health Minister.
The Ghana Health Service said “upon receiving this disturbing news, it has initiated investigations into the matter to establish the authenticity or otherwise of the story in line with the existing practices in the public service to enable it to take appropriate actions”.
General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Richard Selormey, had also indicated that the Association has also began its independent investigations into the matter.
We want to be able to contribute to the pool of output and advice that will come to the Health Ministry,” he revealed. But little has been heard from them since.
Many including the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Mary Awelana Addah, and former Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Otiko Afisa Djaba, expressed concern about the time allotted for investigations into the death of the patient.
According to them, 30 days was too long to bring the perpetrators who committed this inhumane act to face justice.
Source: Anchorghana.com
