The Central Aflao Hospital in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region is currently under investigation, along with two nurses from the facility, for alleged medical negligence. The investigation stems from an incident where a critically ill patient was denied treatment unless a cash deposit was made, resulting in the patient’s death.
The family of the deceased patient, Linda Adua, aged 39, has lodged a petition with the President, the Minister of Health, the Ghana Health Service, and the Medical and Dental Council, seeking justice. According to the family, despite the pleas of the sick woman and her 19-year-old son, the nurses refused to accept mobile money payment for her treatment, leaving her unattended until she eventually passed away.
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In response to the petition, both the Medical and Dental Council and the Ghana Health Service swiftly dispatched a team of investigators to the hospital to look into the matter. Dr. Gabrielle Kojo, the Medical Director of the Aflao Central Hospital (also known as Nkansah Hospital), confirmed that a team from the Ghana Health Service was present at the hospital to conduct the investigation. Additionally, Dr. Makafui Dagbasu, the Medical Director of the Ketu South Municipal Hospital, which serves as the main referral center in the municipality, confirmed that their hospital was also being investigated in relation to this incident.
Abigail Adua, an elder sister of the deceased, recounted that when Linda appeared to have died, the hospital instructed her son to take her to a government facility where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. Linda, who has yet to be buried, resided in Aflao with her only son and operated a restaurant.
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Abigail mentioned that Linda’s son, Jerry Nii Tetteh, had recently gained admission to pursue a degree program at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and was now left alone and traumatized after losing his reliable source of support and companion. Abigail explained that on April 11 of this year, Linda asked her son to accompany her to the hospital as she was feeling unwell.
According to Abigail, Linda offered to pay for the treatment through a mobile money transfer, but the nurses claimed that electronic transfers were against the hospital’s policy. They insisted that Tetteh should leave the hospital premises to find a mobile money merchant and withdraw cash for the payment.
