- suspicion hangs on medical authourities -

Ghanaians in the city of Parma, north of Italy, received with shock the news on the death of their compatriot, Charles Kusi Blankson, 42, who died two days after collapsing on his job.

Sources say, ‘Charlie’, as he known by his close associates, went to work on May 23 and later complained about not feeling well with headache. A friend later found him in the factory’s place off convenience unconcious and unable to move his limbs properly.

Work authourities quickly called in the ambulance and was rushed to hospital. According to reports he was operated the same night but died two days after.

His death came as a surprise and of more upsetting story is the way hospital authourities, doctors, handled the period prior to his death on May 25.

Narrating events leading to the death of their member, Anthony Amuzu, a leader of the Church of Pentecost, Parma, gave an account of the incident: “We got news of him collapsing on the job and taken to Maggiore Hospital in Parma”. The incident was reported to have happened at 8:30p.m

Continued Elder Amuzu: “I was on a night shift so my brother Alfred, also a member of the church in the company of Charlie’s wife, Agartha Kesiwa and my wife followed up to the hospital. They were not allowed to see him as the doctors said he is being operated.”

According to the Elder, he accompanied the other three the following day to the hospital and what happened there was unethical and utmost disbelief.

“ Three lady doctors invited us to their consulting room and demanded we sign a document to donate some of his internal organs giving reasons that he would not survive. That statement hit us hard after we’ve prayed at his bed side”.

Elder Amuzu further added the doctors tried vehemently to convince them to let the wife of Charlie sign the document.

“We explained she doesn’t understand the Italian language having joined the husband in Italy only last November but they still insisted we ask her to sign”

This aroused their suspicion, according to Elder Amuzu, but when the pages of the documents was shown to them they were made to understand signing only the first page of the document does not give authourity to remove the organs.

“With my knowledge in the Italian language I observed that the first page of the document rather authourises organs such as heart, liver, lungs to be removed”, Elder Amuzu stated.

He mentioned when they still proved adamant not signing the document the doctors became increasingly aggressive and one of them got very angry telling them in plain words the medical gadgets holding the patient would be removed and that they should not come to the intensive ward the next day but go to the mortuary with his clothes and prepare for burial.

Elder Amuzu again said he told the doctors they believe in God who can do what man cannot but none of these could change the mind of the health authourities and hold on even to the next day as they pushed further their word on them to have the documents signed.

“In the end we didn’t sign it,” concluded the church Elder.

Truly, as directed they went to the mortuary the next day and found the dead body of Charlie.

The story has become a topic of concern among the Ghanaian community with many unanswered questions, the whole incident coming 4 months after the death of two other Ghanaians who also died in the same hospital.

Charlie has since been buried but the lingering questions continue, Why doctors insisted on the documents to be signed to remove the organs of the patient? What transpired on the operation table when Charlie was operated? Has doctors any right to be aggressive towards relations of a patient to have organs removed? These are some of the questions they are demanding answers.

The Church of Pentecost, Parma, paid a glowing tribute describing Charlie as a brother and a friend who gets on well with all his associates. The church Secretary, Mark McCarthy added he is a honest and open-minded man who would be greatly missed.

It’s learnt he recently bought mobile microphones for the church. The church authourities said they will seek legal advise on the death and take the necessary action.

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