Dr. George Prah, the medical director of the Trauma and Specialist Hospital in Winneba, the Central Region, has been temporarily relieved of his duties while an investigation into the patient’s death, purportedly caused by the patient’s abandonment in a bush, is being conducted.
He is to withdraw until the Ghana Health Service (GHS) committee that was formed has finished its probe into the incident.
The GHS has already been granted a maximum of 30 days by Health Minister Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye to finish the inquiry and turn in a report.
On Thursday, June 13, 2024, it was revealed that a patient who was admitted to the Trauma and Specialist Hospital in Winneba had allegedly been released from the facility and left behind in a bush.
The elderly woman, who was still recuperating from leg injuries sustained in an accident at the roadside close to a bush, is reported to have been transported and dumped by an ambulance from the hospital.
The woman was seen on social media posts and in photos and videos lying beside the road with P.O.P. on both legs and a wheelchair by her side.
When the elderly woman started to show symptoms of coldness, someone nearby offered to help keep her warm.
After a few days of being left by the side of the road, she supposedly passed away.
GHS Emergency Meeting.
In an emergency meeting with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) management on Friday, June 14, 2024, the hospital’s medical director apparently acknowledged the occurrence.
With the exception of the GHS, the Medical Director verified the incident and clarified that the circumstances surrounding the facts and the reports in different media outlets varied from each other.
Consequently, a committee has been constituted to conduct independent investigation into the matter to enable the Ghana Health Service take appropriate action.
The Committee is made up of the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon from the Ridge Hospital, representative from the Ministry of Health, representative from the Social Welfare Department and a senior Nurse Manager.
They are to ensure credibility and unfettered access to all relevant information.
Awaiting the investigation’s conclusion, the Medical Director has been temporarily removed from his position.
In order to ensure that everyone linked to the regrettable situation is held accountable, the Ghana Health Service notified the Minister of Health about the action that was taken and guaranteed that the proper measures will be taken at the conclusion of the investigation.
Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, the Minister of Health, has granted the GHS a maximum of 30 days from the committee’s formation date to present a report.