Faulty Korle-Bu CT scan leads to 2-year-old baby's death

A 2-year-old baby girl has died at the Korle-Bu Teaching hospital in Accra due to the unavailability of a CT scan and other facilities at the referral centre.

Father of the baby, Richard Yaw Asante, told Chief Jerry Forson on the Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM Monday, 18 June that he had to buy items that the doctors and the nurses needed at the hospital for treatment.

He narrated: “Last week Thursday around 7:30AM when we were all preparing for the day’s activities, my wife slipped on the stair case with the baby, 2 years, and the baby’s head hit the wall. She suddenly collapsed. Blood was oozing out of the head.

“So, I quickly rushed them to the Valley View hospital where the baby was given some drips. From there they referred us to the 37 Military hospital.

“The first disappointment started from Valley View when they were arranging for an ambulance. It took about an hour for us to get an ambulance. When the ambulance came, the arrangement was made and oxygen and water were placed on her.

“When they got to the 37 Military Hospital, the condition was still not stable, so, we were asked to move on to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, so, the mother, the driver and another nurse who were in the ambulance drove to Korle-Bu and I also followed them.”

He continued: “One thing happened on the way to the 37 Military hospital. The ambulance driver by passed the Chief Justice’s convoy and one of the dispatch riders followed the ambulance to 37 and arrested the driver. But that matter was settled and we moved on although I was angry.

“We continued to Korle-Bu where they had referred the child to. When I got there, they had taken the child out of the ambulance and they were at the emergency centre. Even the gadget that was used in checking the pulse, I had to buy it myself, GHS200. I bought virtually everything that was used.

“I stood by watching, the doctor told me they needed to have a CT scan but I was told their CT scan was spoilt, it wasn’t working, so, I was asked to go outside the hospital for the scan. I asked where I could get the nearest lab to do the scan yet they could not tell me.

“So, I quickly called a friend’s daughter who is a doctor at Korle-Bu to assist us. She came and examined the girl and said we needed to arrange for an ambulance for the girl to undergo the scan.

“By that time, the ambulance we came with from Valley View had left, and, so, we had to look for another ambulance. It took us hours to get a new ambulance but by the time we had the new ambulance, the baby had stopped breathing, she was dead.”