The family of the missing stillborn baby says they are disappointed
with the Health Ministry’s latest pronouncements which it says “gives no
indication as to the whereabouts of the missing bodies of the
stillborns including that of Suwaiba”.
According to the family, their only concern is for the hospital to
either produce their baby alive or find out where their purported dead
baby’s remains were sent.
In the latest of the Health Ministry’s probe into the controversial
missing baby saga at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, the Chief
Executive Officer of the Hospital has been asked to take his
accumulative leave.
This follows numerous administrative lapses uncovered in the latest
report delivered by the hospital and the preliminary reports made
available by the Nurses and Midwifery Council and the Medical and Dental
Council.
The Health Ministry after missing its March 21 deadline to bring a
closure to the matter, rather released a preliminary report of its
findings on the probe into the saga on Tuesday.
Addressing a news conference, the sector minister Sherry Ayittey
indicated that reports received from the hospital showed that “still
births should have been handed over to the mortuary attendants and
certified by a doctor that the baby was actually dead and registered by
the mortuary attendant in the register but there is no evidence to that
effect.
She also disclosed that a report from the Nurses and Midwifery
council suggested that there were inappropriate storage facilities for
still born babies at the labor ward. The report further pointed out that
laid down processes for documenting births and deaths at the ward had
been neglected while there was absolutely no communication between the
midwifes and their doctors at the ward.
On sanctions, Mrs. Ayetey noted that “the ministry has decided that
the Chief Executive Officer should take his accumulative leave with
immediate effect” while the board directs a senior person in management
to take over from him.
The medical doctor and midwife on duty that day are also to remain on
leave indefinitely. She also pointed out that the ministry of health is
in “the process of facilitating a meeting with Madam Suwaiba, her
lawyer and her family to find an amicable settlement to the unfortunate
incident”.
But the family will not have any of this. Spokesperson for the
family, Abdul Rahman in an interview with Kumasi based Ultimate Radio
described the Health Ministry’s latest verdict ordering the CEO to
proceed on leave as a mere “warm up” stating that “we want to see the
real action.”
“The family is very disappointed in the way that the baby has not
been accounted for as the ministry directed that the hospital gives full
account of the whereabouts of the baby. We understand that it is a
preliminary report but we are hoping that the actual report coming out
in two weeks will tell us the whereabouts of the baby,” he said.
He however stated forcefully that “the family’s position is that we
are not considering anything like compensation. At the moment our
position is to know the whereabouts of the baby whether dead or alive.
That is what will give us peace.”
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