Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has referred allegations of medical misconduct at Winneba’s Trauma and Specialist Hospital to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service and Attorney General’s Department for further investigation.
This follows the Ghana Health Service’s (GHS) investigation, which revealed grave misconduct by hospital officials regarding a patient’s death after transfer to Ojobi, where she was negligently abandoned.
The Health Ministry, in a statement issued yesterday, said the investigative committee also recommended that the said staff be sanctioned by the GHS through internal disciplinary procedures.
Given the severity of the issue and the loss of life reported, the statement noted that the ministry believes a comprehensive investigation by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice is warranted.
According to the statement, the Health Minister, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, directed that the conduct of officials involved be reported to the CID and the Attorney General’s Department.
“Consequently, the Minister of Health has requested the assistance of the AG to initiate an investigation into the case to determine the culpability or otherwise of the affected staff and take any further action deemed appropriate,” the statement said.
It added, “This matter has also been reported to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The Ministry of Health is committed to the recommendations made by the committee of the GHS. The full report of the committee is available on the website of the Ministry of Health.”
The ministry reiterated its dedication to upholding the highest standards of healthcare delivery and ensuring that the tragic circumstances leading to this incident are not repeated.
By Ernest Kofi Adu