Isaac Ofori Gyeabour is the president of Patient Right Watch Ghana
President of Patient Right Watch Ghana, Isaac Ofori Gyeabour, has advised Ghanaians, especially patients, to report medical negligence rather than keep silent about it.
He said patients who visit various health facilities and receive ill treatment must immediately report the offender to the authorities of the facility.
He said whether it is emotional or physical assaults, poor health delivery, wrong medication, or carelessness, it is important for victims to always report the case to get justice.
According to him, people who keep silent about such negligence make enemies of their own.
"Your silence is the enemy. When you go to a facility and you are not treated well, you always have to complain. You can complain directly to the facility where you went. You can complain to the owner, and if it is the Ghana Health Service, you can do it through the director. You can also lodge the complaint with the medical and dental council, which regulates professional standards," he said.
He said it is very sad that people take delight in keeping silent and rather complain on the sidelines.
"You can complain, and look, you can let a public letter writer write your complaint, and then you go and physically deliver it and expect them to reply," he added.
He said if everybody were to be bold and take those steps, the various hospital facilities would sit up.
The president and founder of Patient Right Watch Ghana said this during a medico-legal symposium held at the Miklin Hotel in Kumasi.
The symposium, which was themed "Ghana's Patient Charter: 12 Years On," was meant to assess the impact of the patient charter.
During the discussions, lawyers, medical professionals, and other stakeholders were brought together to consider Ghana's patient challenge.
The President said the patient charter first came into existence in 2002 and was elevated into a statute award in 2022.
Commenting on the patient charter and its impact so far, he said the impact was quite unimpressive.
He added that "you cannot say that the charter has seen a significant impact on healthcare, and the reason is that people are not interested."
For Patient Rights Watch Ghana, the president and legal practitioner said they educate the public and stakeholders through media engagement and educate trainees about these medical-legal issues before they become professionals.
According to him, the association avails itself of victim support by providing legal aid and many other forms of assistance to persons who may be in need as far as patient rights are concerned.
"Sometimes, there is the need for professional psychologists to help resolve any such incidents that may lead to psychological trauma," he said.
Meanwhile, some key personalities who graced the occasion included Professor Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, Justice of the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Court of Appeal of Ghana; Prof. Dr. Otchere Addai-Mensah, CEO of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital; Dr. Divine Banyubala (Esq), Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Ghana; and a host of other key stakeholders.
