General News of 2026-09-01
Kidney Dialysis, Power Outage, No Oxygen: Tamale Teaching Hospital breaks silence on patient's death
The Tamale Teaching Hospital has responded to reports surrounding the death of a patient, Sumaila Amadu, who was receiving kidney dialysis at the facility.
In a statement dated August 31, 2026, the Hospital said it has set up a multidisciplinary team to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death and submit its report within one week.
According to the hospital management, the patient was scheduled to undergo eight dialysis sessions in August and had completed the first four sessions.
Kidney Dialysis, Power Outage, No Oxygen: Man accuses Tamale Teaching Hospital over brother’s death
However, during the fifth session, the patient's condition changed unexpectedly.
“Records indicate that our client was scheduled to undergo eight dialysis sessions during the month of August. The first, second, third, and fourth scheduled sessions were successfully administered.
“Sadly, during the fifth scheduled dialysis session, the patient’s clinical parameters changed unexpectedly and became inconsistent with the progress that had been recorded during the preceding sessions. The attending clinical team responded in accordance with established clinical protocols and standards of care,” the statement said.
The Hospital also confirmed that it experienced a power outage on the day of the incident, explaining that the outage occurred at about 8:48 p.m. and was later found to have affected areas beyond the Hospital.
“On the day in question, at approximately 8:48 p.m., the Hospital experienced an unexpected power outage. Management subsequently became aware that the outage was widespread and not limited to the Hospital,” it said.
Management explained that its medical oxygen system is connected to electricity but has standby oxygen cylinders as a backup.
It said the cylinders can be used to provide oxygen directly to patients at their bedsides when needed.
“The Hospital’s medical oxygen supply system is supported by an automated piped oxygen system integrated with the Hospital’s electricity supply. As an additional quality-assurance and contingency measure, standby oxygen cylinders are available to provide an alternative source of medical oxygen whenever required,” the statement stated.
The facility also said it has standby generators to provide power during interruptions from the national grid.
Management further said that technical personnel are assigned on a rotational basis to operate and monitor the generators to support critical services during power outages.
The Hospital, however, said it could not disclose details about the patient's medical condition or the exact circumstances surrounding the death because of patient confidentiality.
“Given the Hospital’s obligation to protect patient confidentiality and privacy, Management is unable to disclose further details regarding the patient’s clinical condition, treatment, and the detailed circumstances surrounding his death,” it explained.
Management said the death would also be reviewed under its existing system for investigating deaths that occur at the facility.
The Hospital assured the public that it remains committed to patient safety, quality healthcare, accountability and transparency.
It urged the public to avoid speculation and the circulation of unverified information while the investigation is ongoing.
“Management therefore urges the public and all stakeholders to refrain from speculation and the circulation of unsubstantiated claims and to allow the appropriate review processes to proceed,” it concluded.
It will be recalled that a man had accused the hospital of failing to provide critical support to his brother, Sumaila Amadu, who died during a dialysis session.
In a lengthy Facebook post on August 29, 2026, explaining the circumstances that he believes led to his brother’s death, Salman Al Faris said his brother, who had chronic kidney disease, was undergoing his scheduled dialysis at the hospital’s Renal Clinic on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, when a power outage occurred.
“At about 9:00 p.m., I called my brother to check on him. He told me that he had started his dialysis session. I called again at approximately 10:20 p.m. He told me that he was still undergoing dialysis and that he would call me later,” he narrated.
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“At about 10:45 p.m., I called again. This time, I was informed by my friend, who had accompanied Sumaila to the dialysis centre, that there had been a power blackout and that Sumaila was having difficulty breathing,” he alleged.
“I was further informed that although the hospital’s standby power plant wasn’t working, there was reportedly no oxygen available at the renal clinic at the time. My brother struggled to breathe during this critical period. Despite his efforts to survive, Sumaila eventually passed away,” he alleged.
MAG/BAI
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