Accra, March. 1, GNA - The Police said on Tuesday that
medical officers had asked for two more weeks to complete a
psychological assessment on Jacinta Oduro Kwarteng, a self-
styled nurse accused of stealing a two-week-old baby girl from
the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. When the case was called, Assistant Superintendent
of Police (ASP) Sarah Acquah, the prosecutor said Jacinta
was still undergoing medical treatment and the medical officer
is therefore asking for an additional two weeks. In the absence of the accused the court therefore
adjourned the matter to March 22. Jacinta's counsel at the last sitting contended that
his client was ill and was not medically sound to answer the
charge levelled against her. The court therefore ordered that Jacinta, who is also a
mother, should undergo psychiatric examination to determine
whether or not she was fit to stand trial. The prosecutor, ASP Acquah, however, told the court that
Jacinta was 93100 per cent sound" to stand trial. ASP Acquah told the court that Jacinta resides at
Dansoman, Accra. On January 17, the complainant who gave birth to a baby
girl at the Hospital was asked to report on January 31 for
review. The prosecutor said on January 31, the complainant and her
auntie took the baby to the hospital but the medical doctor was
not available hence she was asked to report the following day. When the complainant was leaving, she met the accused
dressed in white attire seated at the Maternity Out-Patient
Department (OPD). The prosecutor said the complainant approached Jacinta
and asked if her baby could be weighed since her doctor was
unavailable. Jacinta then offered to assist the complainant and asked the
complainant to leave her baby with the auntie to enable her to
take her (the complainant) upstairs to see another doctor. The prosecutor said on the way to see the doctor, Jacinta
asked the complainant to wait for her while she collected
laboratory results from the Central Laboratory. ASP Acquah said Jacinta went to the complainant's auntie
who was then holding the baby and told her that the medical
doctor wanted to see the baby. The complainant's auntie
therefore gave the baby to Jacinta. The complainant, the prosecutor said, realising that Jacinta
had kept long in returning went back to see her auntie and the
baby but to her surprise she was told that Jacinta had come for
the child. The complainant and her auntie searched the various
departments of the hospital but to no avail. They therefore
lodged a complaint with the Korle-Bu Police. The prosecutor said Jacinta was arrested at her hideout at
Dansoman 91Last Stop' and she mentioned one Ataa as the
person who bought the baby for GH¢300. ASP Acquah said Ataa realising that she was being sought
by the Police sent the baby to Assin Fosu Government
Hospital in the Central Region where she abandoned her (the
baby) and went into hiding. The case was transferred to the Domestic Violence and
Victims Support Unit in the Greater Accra Region.
