…Eye witnesses call on Health Minister to investigate the matter

By PA Investigative Desk

The callousness and negligence of a nurse resulted in the untimely death of a patient at the La General Hospital last Monday, July 29.

Eye witnesses told Public Agenda that the patient, believed to be in his sixties, was on admission at the Emergency ward of the Hospital for three days with a case of blood vomiting.

At about 8:00 pm that fateful day, some strange noise was heard from the Emergency ward, drawing the attention of some visitors and relatives of some of the patients on admission. When they drew closer to the entrance of the Emergency ward, they realised that the patient in question had fallen from his bed and was down on the floor. One of them rushed to call one of the nurses on duty at the Emergency ward; her response was not only shocking but just also unthinkable. The nurse, according to the eye witnesses, said the patient was too heavy and there-fore she could not help lift him up. The repulsive attitude of the nurse thus goaded the good Samaritans who went to the patient's aid and carried him back unto his bed. It was at that point that the nurse came around to adjust the patient's bed down-wards.

After a few minutes, the patient started complaining of severe pains at his back. According to him, he felt something was pricking him and it was unbearable. About 15 minutes later, the un-expected happened: the man passed on. At about 8:30 PM, a doctor was called in who after examination declared the patient dead. The eye witnesses said about an hour later, the body was taken to the mortuary. They are thus calling upon the Minister for Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey, to institute investigations into the matter.

On Friday morning at about 11:00 O'clock, a reporter of Public Agenda went to the La General Hospital to find out about the details of the story, including the name of the patient, the negligent nurse, and the doctor who was on duty at the time of the incident. Unfortunately, the head of the Hospital was said to be on leave, while the deputy, who was on duty, was also not immediately available. The next in the chain of command, who only gave her name as Josephine, expressed shock that the issue had not been brought to the attention of management. She, however, promised that the Hospital would embark on a thorough investigation into the matter. She said some-times such incidents escaped management’s attention because they were not informed.