A resident of Winneba in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region, Francis Bolley, is calling on the Ghana Health Service to publish their report on the patient who was allegedly dumped in a bush at Gomoa Ojobi.
As reported by Adom News in June 2024, an unidentified patient was abandoned in a bush at Gomoa Ojobi after the management of Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital discharged the patient due to the disturbance she was causing at the facility.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Health suspended Dr. George Prah, the Medical Director of Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital, and constituted a committee to investigate the matter and submit their report within one month.
In an interview with Adom News, Francis Bolley has petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, urging the Ministry to publish the report to preserve the reputation of the hospital and the suspended Medical Director, Dr. George Prah.
He noted that, the 30-day period for the committee to conclude and submit its report ended on Friday, August 2, 2024.
“It is surprising that the Ghana Health Service has remained silent for almost three weeks after receiving the committee’s report” he said.
He revealed that, the hospital is in disarray due to the unfortunate incidents, and many of the workers are also traumatized.
Mr. Bolley said state institutions often failed to publish committee reports, but as a resident of Winneba, he will continue to pursue this case until the truth is revealed.
Read his full statement below:
August 18, 2024
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF GHANA, HIS EXCELLENCY NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO
Dear President,
THE SILENCE OF THE GHANA HEALTH SERVICE ON THE ISSUE OF A PATIENT ALLEGEDLY DUMPED INTO A BUSH AT GOMOA OJOBI BY THE TRAUMA AND SPECIALIST HOSPITAL IN WINNEBA IS UNDERMINING QUALITY HEALTH CARE DELIVERY AND A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY
I humbly and respectfully convey to you very warm compliments.
Your Excellency, I am compelled to write this open letter for your urgent attention on the above subject matter. There is a rather unusual, strange, and uncharacteristic but determined cold silence on a very crucial issue agitating the minds of Ghanaians: “A patient allegedly dumped into a bush at Gomoa Ojobi by the Trauma and Specialist Hospital in Winneba.” It will be recalled that on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, the media reported that a woman with P.O.P on both legs, wrapped in a cloth with a wheelchair by her side, had been left in a bush. The reports indicated that the woman was abandoned by an ambulance from the Trauma and Specialist Hospital in Winneba, according to some eyewitnesses in the community.
Dear Sir, subsequent to that, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) directed the Medical Director of the Trauma and Specialist Hospital in Winneba, Dr. George Kwame Prah, to step aside amid ongoing investigations into allegations that a patient was abandoned in a bush at Gomoa Ojobi to prevent any potential influence on the investigation and ensure unfettered access to all relevant information. The Ghana Health Service (GHS) assured that appropriate actions would be taken based on the committee’s findings to address the situation and hold any responsible individuals accountable.
To ensure a comprehensive investigation, the GHS formed a committee to examine the incident thoroughly, after an emergency meeting held on Friday, June 14, 2024, at the GHS Headquarters. According to some sources, the Central Regional Director of Health Service and the Medical Director were part of the meeting. The composition of the committee included the following: the board chairman of HEFRA, the Deputy Director-General of Human Resources of GHS, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon from the Ridge Hospital, representatives from the Ministry of Health and the Social Welfare Department, the Central Regional House of Chiefs, and a senior Nurse Manager.
The committee, as part of its terms of reference, was tasked by the Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, to investigate the alleged abandonment of a patient at Gomoa Ojobi and submit its findings within 30 days.
Your Excellency, the thirty (30) day period for the committee to conclude and submit its report containing the findings of the investigations elapsed on Friday, August 2, 2024, after it commenced its work on July 2, 2024.
It is surprising to note that the Ghana Health Service, almost three weeks after receiving the committee’s report, has kept silent on its content, allowing people to speculate on the streets of Winneba.
Mr. President, residents of Winneba and its environs, as well as well-meaning Ghanaians who have shown keen interest in the case since it broke out, are worried about the seeming silence by the Ghana Health Service, leaving them to wild speculations on the subject. The Medical Director is still at home!
Please, Sir, such a sensitive matter which borders on national security, the image and credibility of the health facility, and the officers cited in it cannot be overlooked.
I write to plead with your highest office to, as a matter of urgency, compel the Ghana Health Service to release the report.
Sir, most importantly, we are concerned about what the current developments will have on the positive image of the Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba, and the country’s health sector as a whole.
With sincere and respectful regards,
Francis Taus Bolley
Concerned Resident of Effutu
Source: Kofi Adjei
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