Fake doctor grabbed

A 31-year-old man who posed as a medical doctor at the Kintampo District Hospital was on Monday, arrested and placed in custody by the police. “Dr” Paul Acheampong had told the hospital authorities that he was transferred from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.

On his arrival to begin work last Thursday, February 14, he was said to have furnished the authorities with a handwritten curriculum vitae (CV) indicating that he was trained at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

A native of Akyim Achiase, Oda, the suspect who resided at Darkuman in Accra, claimed to have attended KNUST from 1992 to 2001 after which he did his housemanship at KATH and Saint Dominic Hospital in Akwatia.

But earlier, he told the authorities that he completed his housemanship in 1999 at KATH and left for the United Kingdom for further studies. The chairman of the youth wing of the New Patriotic Party, NPP M. A. Baah Agyapong, was said to have confronted him on his status, judging from his behaviour but the young doctor brushed him off. According to the Hospital Administrator, Mr Jeremiah Tiimob, his behaviour gave him up as he could not even prescribe any drugs. He only touched the patients and said, “you will be well”.

After his arrival, “Dr” Acheampong started collecting money from the staff among other things, he added. Convinced that he was a fake doctor, the nurses were said to have confronted him after which they informed the Regional Health Director, Dr Kofi Asare, who ordered that the police should cause his arrest. And as fate could have it he was picked while on duty.

According to Mr Tiimob, the ‘Doctor’ has pleaded with him to let the police drop the case. He said the ‘Dr’ later told him that he heard of the announcement of the lack of medical doctors at the hospital, hence his action. The police, when contacted confirmed the incident and said they were still investigating.