Conflicting stories on Amissah-Arthur’s death: Wife brings clarity to bare a year on

It has been over sixteen months since the death of Ghana’s former Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.

Immediately after the death of the former vice president, different stories emerged on events surrounding his death. One version claimed he was carried in the bucket of a pickup truck to the hospital when he collapsed at the Airforce Gym on the morning of his death.

But interacting with David Ampofo on his Time with David, Matilda Amissah Arthur, wife of the former Vice President debunked that version and other similar ones, by narrating the real events leading to her husband’s death.

According to her on the Friday morning of June 29, 2018, her husband drove with her to the Airforce gym for their usual Friday gym session which they had been doing over the years.

She said whiles her husband was on his last lap of exercise for the day, he collapsed and was resuscitated by Dr Naa Tagoe of the Ridge Hospital who happened to be at the gym at the time.

“He drove that morning, we went to the gym as usual. We get there 4:30 and we leave at 6. He did his exercises, we were almost through, he went on the cross trainer being the last exercise that he would do and then he collapsed. There was a doctor, a member of the gym who is a doctor, Dr Naa Tagoe of ridge hospital, so she rushed and resuscitated him.”

Mrs Amissah-Arthur said upon the suggestion of Dr Tagoe it was decided that her husband be sent to a hospital for check-up and treatment, which resulted in her husband being sent to the 37 Military Hospital that Friday morning.

Narrating the part of the story which has had the most variations, Mrs Amissah Arthur said whiles her husband was sent to the hospital in a pickup truck, he was not placed in the bucket as it has been widely speculated. But was placed on the second seat of the double cabin pickup belonging to a senior military officer who was also at the gym.

She revealed that the decision to use the pickup was made to ensure the comfort and safety of her husband, who had been resuscitated and was “alright” at the time.

“The Doctor and the officer said if we put him at the back of the Benz its soo short that it will cramp him, so I (the military officer) have a pickup, a double cabin pickup. Let’s put him on the second seat of the double cabin and let the doctor sit with him.”

She continued that upon their arrival at the 37 Military Hospital her husband was received by five doctors including her own son and cousin, who were already on standby having been contacted. She said the former Vice President was sent to the emergency unit and after it was established that his vital signs were in the normal, he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit for monitoring.

The widow of the former Vice President said she was called in minutes later and informed of her husband’s passing after she was asked to go home but insisted on hanging around. She described the moment as shocking considering the attention her husband gave to his health describing him a ‘stickler for health’.

The Late Amissah Arthur

Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur was an economist, academic and politician and the fifth Vice-President of Ghana’s 4th republic. Previously he was Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2009-2012, and was later sworn in as Vice President on August 6th, 2012. Sadly he passed away on Friday, June 29th 2018. He died at the age of 67.