The Ghana Physician Assistants Association has issued a 48-hour ultimatum for authorities to release their colleague, Simon Tarkrama, who has been remanded at Akuse prison in connection with the death of three people from contaminated injections.

The Somanya Magistrate Court remanded Mr Tarkrama, 42, and one James Yeboah, a 65-year-old retired field technician at New Senchi Health Centre (Disease Control Unit).

But the Ghana Physician Assistants Association maintains that Mr Tarkrama is innocent.

A press release signed by Alhaji Chief Imoro Bandana II, President of the Association which was released on Thursday 12 April 2018, said they are “demanding for the immediate release of the Physician Assistant, Mr Simon Takrama within 48 hours by the complainant which is the Asuogyaman District Health Directorate. All Physician Assistants in the District and Region are hereby advised to boycott all medical services as a sign of solidarity to our comrade till he is released”.

The Ghana Health Service has said the accused, James Yeboah who administered the injection operated illegally.

The Food and Drugs Authority has said its preliminary investigations indicate that the deaths may have been caused by contaminated medication.

According to the association, it is worth bringing it again to the attention of the general public that the Disease Control Officer, Mr James Yeboah who gave the Injection Benzathine Penicillin resulting in the deaths “had been practicing illegally at the New Senchi Health Centre for the past six years after retirement at the full glare of the District Health Directorate before the Physician Assistant was posted to the facility on 17th November, 2017”.

They added that: “All this while, the Eastern Regional Health Directorate and the Asuogyaman District Health Directorate had turned a blind eye to the illegal activities of the Disease Control Officer because they are in bed with him as the said officer had been giving monthly reports directly to the Asuogyaman District Health Directorate”.

The association alleged that: “Some officers at the District Health Directorate have been benefiting financially from the activities of the retired officer. How then can our colleague who had not being mandated by the District Health Directorate to play that supervisory role over the Disease Control Unit as the facility head be implicated in the mess created by a retired personnel sanctioned by the same service?

“Can the District Health Director and Human Resource Manager come out boldly to deny the activities of the retired Disease Control Officer?

“If they claimed they are unaware of the activities of Mr James Yeboah, what steps were taken to address the issue?

“This death saga had exposed a lot of lapses in the Ghana Health Service setting and instead of admitting their ineptitude in terms of their supervisory and administrative roles, an innocent Physician Assistant, husband and father is unjustifiably incarcerated at Akuse Prisons as a sacrificial lamb."