The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has collaborated with the Medical & Dental Council to arrest two medical doctors and two officers of the Social Welfare Department of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, who were allegedly engaged in the acts of “baby harvesting” and “trafficking.”
Also, two mothers and a traditional birth attendant has been arrested over the same offense.
EOCO and the Medical & Dental Council announced the arrests in a joint statement.
According to the statement jointly signed by the Acting Registrar of the Medical & Dental Council, Dr Divine N. Banyubala and Executive Director of EOCO, COP Frank Adu-Poku (rtd), the suspects are Dr Hope Mensah Quashie, Leonard Agbley and Dr Noah Kofi Lartey.
The statement indicated that “the Medical and Dental Council and the Economic and Organized Crime Office have been investigating the activities of some medical practitioners, nurses, social welfare officers and other individuals who were suspected to be engaged in the illegal act of ‘baby harvesting’ and ‘human trafficking.’”
It said the joint team carried out investigations into illegal activities between the periods June to November, 2020.
As a result of these investigations, it added, two medical doctors namely Dr Hope Mensah Quashie and Dr Noah Kofi Lartey, two Social Welfare workers, four nurses, two mothers and one traditional birth attendant have been arrested so far and are on bail pending further investigations.”
“We currently have in our possession two baby boys who were bought as a result of the operation,” according to the statement.
The statement indicated that on Thursday, December 31, 2020, Dr Mensah Quashie who works with the 37 Military Hospital was arrested at his private health facility named Susan Clinic locates at Lartebiokorshie, a suburb of Accra. He allegedly sold the first baby boy to the team for an amount of Ghc 30,000 in October.
The statement added that Dr Mensah Quashie was arrested with three nurses who worked at his health facility. The nurses, it said, were: Sylvia Awuseh, John Adorey Effie and Angela Ametepe, adding that they have been identified as the accomplices together with one Dede Gifty Anikpi, a traditional birth attendant at Bathlehem Maternity Home at Santoe, a suburb of Kpone Katamanso, who referred the mother of the first baby to Susan Clinic.
Again, the statement indicated that on Thursday, December 31, 2020, a joint team from the Medical and Dental Council and EOCO arrested Leonard Agbley at a health facility in Tema.
“This was after the suspect agreed to help the investigators purchase a new-Born baby for a sum of twenty-eight thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc 28,000).”
According to the statement, Agbley led a member of the investigations team to the Tema General Hospital where the baby was handed over to them by a lady named Nancy Obaa Yaa.
It said further investigations revealed that one Doris Badu, the Social Welfare Officer at the Tema General Hospital was the brain behind the sale of the baby.
“The baby was allegedly supplied to Madam Doris Badu by one Dr Noah Kofi Lartey for sale,” it said, adding that “madam Doris Badu and the mother of the first baby were arrested in separate operations on Monday, January 4, 2021.
It indicated that Dr Noah Kofi Lartey who works at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge and operates a private hospital called Dangbe Community Hospital was also arrested in a separate operation on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
Below is the statement
By Melvin Tarlue