John Obiri Yeboah, a teacher in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, is fighting the Ghana Ambulance Service for a supposed unprofessional conduct which he claimed led to the death of his pregnant wife.
According to the teacher, the Ambulance Service allegedly demanded an amount of GH¢600 from him for fuel before transporting his wife to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra for further medical care.
According to him, the wife went through caesarian section at a hospital at Fijai near Sekondi but had to be transferred to Korle-Bu for an emergency treatment.
Speaking on Takoradi-based Connect FM, John Obiri Yeboah claimed his wife went through a successful caesarian section at the hospital and so he left for home to prepare some meal for her.
He said later, he received a call from his wife’s sister that the patient’s condition had become critical and that she needed to be transferred to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for immediate treatment.
“On my way to the hospital, I had a call from the Ghana Ambulance Service alerting me to meet them at a particular junction,” claimed.
“I met them and saw my wife and her sister in the vehicle and right there, those in charge of the ambulance demanded GH¢600 for fuel to transport my wife to Accra.”
He said he was a bit confused because he did not prepare and thought the amount would rather be included in his final bill.
“I did not have enough money which I told the team. They moved some distance but stopped at a filling station in Assorko Essaman, near Shama indicating that there was no fuel and they could not go further,” he claimed, adding “we spent some time there and the driver later moved back to the hospital.”
“At the hospital, a heated argument ensued between those in charge of the ambulance and the hospital staff while my wife was still in the vehicle,” he said.
He added that, the amount for the fuel was then settled by the hospital after the heated argument and the driver bought the fuel before they continued their journey.
According to him, on their way, his wife’s condition worsened and it was suggested that she should be sent to Cape Coast Hospital for an emergency care where upon arrival, she died.
Mr. Yeboah said the body of his wife has been deposited at Dompoase mortuary near Komenda for preservation.
Ambulance Service Reacts
Meanwhile, the Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Ambulance Service, Simons Karoula has denied all the assertions by Mr. Obiri Yeboah.
According to Mr. Karoula, on January 4, 2022, the hospital at Fijai called their control room for an ambulance to be dispatched to the hospital to transport the woman to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
He said prior to the dispatch of the vehicle, the hospital agreed on the payment of GH¢600 for the purchase of fuel.
“So we did not bargain with the husband because at that moment the agent was the client of the hospital and it was not the man who called us,” he added.
He said the hospital also indicated that the husband was not around and so the ambulance will have to pick him on the road to Accra at Assokor Essaman.
“But when we set off and about to reach Assokor Essaman, we had a call from our control room that the doctor who referred the woman has asked that we go back to the hospital to pick the baby.
“So we picked the husband and went back to the hospital. When we got to the health facility we realised there was some discussions between the doctor and some nurses as to whether the baby should be picked or not,” the PRO said, adding it took some time before it was agreed that the baby should be taken along.
He then said that it was when they returned to the hospital and were about to start the journey again that the hospital’s management gave the GH¢600 for fuel.
“So it was the discussion whether to send the baby or not that delayed and not because they were demanding GH¢600 from Mr. Obiri Yeboah,” he explained.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi