Man Attacks Patients, Nurses At Sankore Hospital

Patients and nurses at the Sankore Hospital in the Asunafo South District of the Brong Ahafo Region had to run for cover when a man stormed the facility and started attacking them.

The man, identified as Abdulai aka Al-Qaida, on Saturday February 4, pursued a woman he had been terrorizing in Sankore to the hospital, where the son of the woman had been hospitalized, and attacked her and patients and some hospital staff.

According to officials of the hospital, Al-Qaida, a notorious hoodlum believed to be a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the area, stormed the facility around 7pm and disconnected the main electricity line to the hospital.

He then entered the wards with his torch light and hunted down 21-year-old Akua Afriyie, whose one-year-old son was on admission at the hospital.

The hospital staff have threatened to abandon the hospital and close down the centre if no action is taken against Al-Qaida, who has not been arrested, even though a report has been lodged with the police.

Akua Afriyie told DAILY GUIDE that Al-Qaida forced his way to the ward where her child was sleeping on that fateful night and removed the drip on his hand and started beating her up.

She said when she raised an alarm to attract the attention of other patients and nurse on duty, he turned on them and assaulted the patients with a metal he was wielding. In the process, most of the patients got injured while Afriyie’s son bled.

A female nurse who attempted to salvage the situation was kicked in the abdomen by the assailant. The nurse later collapsed.

Afriyie said patients on their sick bed had to run for dear life, while a complaint was lodged with the police.

She said a day after the incident at the hospital, Al-Qaida stormed her house and beat her up again with a cane.

According to her, prior to the hospital incident, Al-Qaida had assaulted her about five times in her house within a week.

She told DAILY GUIDE that Al-Qaida had threatened to kill her wherever he met her. She has since remained indoors.

Sankore Police and the Kukuom District Police Command have officially been informed about the development. It is believed no action has been taken because of Al-Qaida’s affiliation with the ruling party and a top government appointee in the region.

Florence Owusuaa, the physician assistant in-charge of the Sankore Health Centre, confirmed the incident when she raised concern about the attack on the hospital at a public function organised by the Member of Parliament for the area, George Yaw Boakye, to distribute medical supplies to the twelve health facilities in the district.

She threatened that if no action was taken against Al-Qaida, the facility would be forced to close down because the lives of the nurses and the other staff were in danger. The hospital is currently operating without electricity.

DAILY GUIDE learnt that after Madam Owusuaa announced the attack on the hospital at the function, she began receiving strange phone calls with threats on her life for daring to speak on the incident in public.

The Asunafo South District Director of Health, Winifred Tienaah, described the attack as unfortunate. She called on the chiefs to take steps to address the situation to prevent any future occurrence.

The MP, Hon Boakye, took a swipe at a section of the youth in the Sankore who had taken it upon themselves to cause trouble in the community. He assured the hospital staff that he would liaise with the chiefs to ensure that the culprit was brought to book.

Meanwhile, the Gyaasehene of the Sankore Traditional Area, Nana Yaw Afriyie, has pleaded with the hospital staff not to carry out their threat of leaving the community as the chiefs will do everything possible to ensure their safety in the town.