Slow Path To Justice: Victim Of Botched Abortion Appeals To Chief Justice

A 30-year-old, Ernestina Adade Konadu, who has been rendered barren after a towel was negligently left in her stomach after a caesarean operation at the Sunyani Regional Hospital, is appealing to the Chief Justice, Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood, to intervene to bring closure to a case against the hospital. The case has been at the court for the past three years without a verdict.

Ernestina Adade Konadu had a caesarean section on October 7, 2010 at the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital, but in the process lost her first child but unknowing to her, a towel used during the procedure was left in her stomach.

 It was later when she was having some other complications that it was detected that a foreign material was in her body.

Ernestina Adade Konadu explained to Weekend Finder that after the operation, her body got swollen, but it was later detected that a towel was mistakenly left in her stomach during the caesarean section.

She was later operated upon to remove the towel. As a result of that, she has been rendered sterile and lost her job at the SDA Hospital in Sunyani, where she was employed as a health assistant.

She later sued the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital seeking compensation of GH₵150,000, but three years down the line, the Sunyani  High Court 1 has not been able to give a verdict on the case.

She is, therefore, calling on the Chief Justice to do something about the case. She said on several occasions that they have been to the court, the representatives of the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital did not turn up.

When the lawyer of Ernestina, Mr. Antwi Adjei, was contacted to find out why her client's case has been pending for three years, he declined to speak on the matter.

 “I am sorry, due to the rather sensitive nature of the case and its controversial antecedents, I am unable to grant you any interview on it,” he said.

Ernestina’s medical condition has so deteriorated that she can no longer engage in any hard work.

Husband of Ernestina, Collins Owusu Appiah said the plight of her wife is really putting pressure on him.

He narrated that because his wife is unable to do anything for herself due to her condition, he has to do almost everything for her.

“She can’t even carry a bucket of water to the shortest distance without having to rest several times on the way. As a result, I have to do everything for her,” he noted.

 He narrated further that he sometimes loses the small contracts he gets as a mason due to his wife’s condition.

“Sometimes those who give me work take them back because of the problems I have at home,” he added.

He, therefore, appealed to the Chief Justice to intervene in the matter and to serve her wife justice.

“I want the Chief Justice to treat this matter as though it were that of her daughter going through this ordeal,” he added.