Family blames Central Aflao hospital over death of member

The family of Linda Adua, a 39-year-old caterer is accusing the management of the Central Aflao Hospital, also known as Nkansa Hospital of medical negligence leading to the bizarre death of their sister.

In a petition signed by Madam Abigail Adua, the deceased's sister on behalf of the family, addressed to the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye and copied to the media, the family said but for the lukewarm attitude towards Linda by some staff of the hospital on duty at the time their deceased sister was brought to the facility, her life would have been saved.

The petition said in the early hours of Thursday, April. 11, 2023, Linda (deceased) complained of ill health and requested that the son accompanied her to the Central Aflao Hospital to seek medical treatment.

The petition added that upon reaching the hospital, two nurses on duty, Mr Kelvin Fenuku and Ms Christine Kebah refused to attend to the deceased upon the basis that the hospital didn't accept electronic money transactions or mobile money, as the deceased had no physical cash on her and pleaded to pay for the GHC 400. 00 deposit she was asked to pay via mobile money.

The family said, the nurses looked on unconcerned and busily scrolled through their mobile phones whiles the deceased cried and begged them to at least administer some first aid or oxygen to her as she was having difficulty in breathing.

Master Jerry Nii Tetteh, the deceased's 19-year-old son said in an interview that "all these while my mother begged to be attended to, I was out of the hospital premises on the instruction of the nurses looking for a mobile money merchant to assist in withdrawing the money to pay the deposit for my mum - it was so early in the morning about 4.00 am. I didn't find any merchant even after going as far as the border, about two kilometres from the hospital, so I had to return without the physical money - and by the time I got back I realized that my mum still sat in the wheelchair where I left her, still crying for help and I can sense that her condition was getting worse," Master Tetteh narrated.

He said the nurses then told him to go look for a taxi to convey her late mum to the Ketu South Municipal Hospital "as her condition was getting out of hand and beyond their strength."

Master Tetteh said, upon reaching the Ketu South Municipal Hospital about a kilometre from the Central Aflao Hospital, unaccompanied by any of the nurses, Linda was pronounced dead on arrival by medical staff there, who according to Master Tetteh, was sure she had passed away several minutes before reaching their facility.

The family is therefore by the petition calling on the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to call for an immediate inquiry and thorough investigation into the unfortunate incident, to forestall a recurrence of the same in health facilities across the country."

Dr Alphonse Makafui Dzakpasu, Medical Superintendent of the Ketu South Municipal Hospital confirmed to this reporter that a case of that nature was reported to the Ketu South Municipal Hospital on the said date, but the patient was brought in already dead.

Dr Gabriel Kwadjo Nkansa, Medical Director of the Central Aflao Hospital told our reporter that, the hospital received a copy of the petition in question and said the facility was conducting its investigations to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the contents of the petition.

Asked whether the hospital management was aware of any such incident on the said date in the hospital's records as captured in the petition, the medical director declined further comments and said the hospital was seeking some legal advice on the issue.