The Medical and Dental Council (MDC) in collaboration with the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has apprehended two medical doctors, four nurses and four others for alleged baby harvesting.
The doctors have been identified as Dr. Hope Mensah Quarshie of the 37 Military Hospital in Accra and Dr. Noah Kofi Lartey of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge, Accra.
The nurses were identified as Sylvia Awuseh, John Adorey Effie, Angela Ametepe and Stella Deli.
Similarly, Leonard Agbley and Doris Badu, both social workers as well as Dede Gifty Anikpi, a traditional birth attendant from Bethlehem Maternity at Santoe, a suburb of Kpone Katamanso, were arrested.
A lady called Nancy Obaa Yaa, believed to be a mother of one of the babies, was also in trouble.
Two of the babies, a four months old and another under a month, whose ‘harvesting’ triggered the EOCO and MDC investigation, are currently safe in the custody of the authorities.
Joint Effort
A media briefing jointly addressed by the Executive Director of the EOCO, COP (Rtd) Frank Adu – Poku, and Dr. Divine N. Banyubala, Acting Registrar of the MDC, said the two organizations had been investigating the activities of some medical practitioners, nurses and social welfare officers suspected to be behind the illegal act of baby harvesting and human trafficking since 2014.
The EOCO Boss said they stepped up their investigation after news of disappearance of a baby at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.
He said the joint team carried out investigations into the instant illegal activities between June and November 2020 and that led to the arrests of the suspects.
COP (Rtd) Adu – Poku continued that on Thursday, December 31, 2020, the team arrested Dr. Quarshie, who worked at the 37 Military Hospital, at his private health facility named Susan Clinic at Lartebiokorshie in Accra together with suspects Ms. Awuseh , Mr. Effie and Ms. Ametepe, who were also nurses at the said private facility.
“Dr. Quarshie is alleged to have sold a baby boy to a buyer at a cost of GH¢30,000,” he said.
The executive Director of EOCO continued that on January 15, 2021 their investigations led to the arrest of Ms. Anikpi, who was the traditional birth attendant at Bethlehem Maternity home, and their findings revealed that she referred the mother of the first baby to Dr. Quarshie of Susan Clinic.
He said Dr. Lartey, who workes at the Ridge Hospital in Accra but operated a private hospital called Dangbe Community Hospital, was also arrest on January 5, 2021.
COP Adu-Poku said suspect also sold a baby at a cost of GH¢28,000.
He said the second baby was supplied by Dr. Lartey to Mr. Agbley and Ms. Badu, both social welfare officers at the Tema General Hospital, to facilitate the sale of the baby.
The two social workers, the EOCO boss revealed, were arrested on December 31, 2020.
He maintained that the investigating teams had also arrested mothers of the two babies who were assisting them with their investigations, saying, “Both babies sold by the suspects are in good health and suspects have also been granted bail pending trial.”
Licence Withdrawn
Dr. Banyubala, said the licences of both doctors had been withheld pending the outcome of the investigations.
He said the council would continue to collaborate with EOCO to ensure that the “bad doctors” who used the noble profession to perpetrate criminal activities were arrested and prosecuted.
Meanwhile, he said the nurses had been handed over to the Nurses and Midwifery Council to act upon their conducts.