Former Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisah Djaba is calling for a thorough probe into the alleged abandonment of a patient that has resulted in her death.
Speaking in an interview on Breakfast News on Dreamz FM, the former Gender Minister says the development is a blot on the image of the country and steps must be taken to ensure that such an incident does not occur again.
“We must see the conclusion as to what went wrong so that we can correct it. It must never happen again in this country,” she stated.
Around Thursday last week, reports emerged of an accident victim, who died, after she was abandoned in a bush at Gomoa Ojobi for days.
She was allegedly discharged from the Trauma and Specialist Hospital in Winneba where she was receiving treatment and transported to Gomoa Ojobi and abandoned.
According to the hospital, the accident victim, who was still recovering from injuries and appeared mental unstable, demanded to be discharged and taken home.
The hospital then heeded to her demand and, in collaboration with the Social Welfare, transported her with an ambulance to Gomoa Ojobi where she claimed to have come from.
She was, however, seen abandoned in a bush by the road.
Videos and images that went viral show the now deceased lying in the bush with P. O. P on both legs and a wheelchair by her side.
She, however, died days later, sparking public outcry and demand for action to be taken against those involved in her abandonment that led to her demise.
Already, the Medical Director of the hospital has been suspended and a committee constituted to investigate the matter.
But Otiko Afisah Djaba wants the heads of the Ministry of Health and the Social Welfare to be relieved of their duties.
She argued that the system failed to protect the victim, who needed care and thus, heads of institutions responsible must be sanctioned.
She also wants a broadcast of the probe and measures to be taken to curb such occurrence in the future.
“Whether it is the social welfare, it’s the hospital, it’s the community, it’s the Ghana Health Services, they have all failed. All of them are culpable. And so the ministry of health, the social welfare, the doctor must all be suspended and then the investigation must be public. Not that they will do it under the carpet”.
While expressing displeasure about the incident, she said, “Everybody should be ashamed of what happened”.
