Hospital authorities dump corpse on Good Samaritan

Akyem Oda, Jan.19, GNA- Authorities of the Akyem Oda Government hospital last Monday dumped a corpse, which had stayed in the morgue for almost a year on Mr. Philip Adavu, a 54-year-old worker of the hospital. The body of Joseph Kwao Mbah, a 75-year-old banker- to-banker operator had been lying at the mortuary since March 14 last year.

Narrating the incident to the GNA, Mr Adavu said the deceased, who was his co-tenant at Akyem Oda fell ill in March last year and he took him to the hospital only for him to pass away three days later. He said, the deceased, who stayed in the house alone for almost 15 years once told him that he hailed from Enchi, so he decided to trace the family after his death without success.

"Last Monday Mr. Gyamfi Yeboah, the hospital Administrator "forced me to board a hospital vehicle, went to the mortuary and took the corpse and dumped it at my doorsteps".

Mr. Adavu said with tears, he went to plead with the personnel of the District Environmental office who went to bury the body. According to him, he thought since there was an environmental personnel attached to the hospital's mortuary, Mr Yeboah should rather have asked him to take care of the body instead of dumping it on him. Mr Yeboah however, told the GNA that the hospital authorities prevailed on Mr Adavu on several occasions to take the body away for burial but he refused to comply, with the excuse that he was not the landlord.

He said since Mr. Adavu was the caretaker of the house, the hospital management advised him to contact him in Accra but he refused to heed their advice.

The hospital administrator said since the deceased was not a pauper, the hospital could not bury him but kept on reminding Mr Adavu to collect it for burial.

"After all persuasions failed, we said enough was enough and decided to dump the body at his doorsteps". Mr Yeboah said initially the hospital had decided to waive the mortuary charges but due to the recalcitrant behaviour of Mr Adavu, a bill of 7.7 million cedis was being prepared for him to settle.