THE GHANA Health Service has denied any knowledge of information regarding an out of court settlement where an amount of GH˘30,000.00 was paid to one Esther Boadu who became a victim of professional negligence by a nurse at the Asamankese Government Hospital.
Though she initially made a damages claim of 50 million old cedis,(GHc5,000.00) it was not given to her and she petitioned the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice and had GHc3,000.00 instead
This was made known at the Judgment Debt Commission’s public sitting yesterday when the director of administration in-charge of legal matters at the ministry of health, Hamidu Adakurugu appeared before it.
According to Mr. Adakruugu who had earlier appeared before the commission and requested time to do further checks, returned and told the commission chaired by Justice Yaw Apau that after the ministry had written to the director general of the Ghana Health Service while a representative was also sent to the Asamankese Government Hospital it got some information about the case, entitled Esther Boadu against the Attorney General.
He explained that the man who was sent to the hospital was referred to the regional directorate of health service and at the regional directorate; he obtained an investigative report of the case, where Esther Boadu had written to the commissioner of human rights.
Mr. Adakurugu noted that the then director general of the Ghana Health Service, Prof. Akosah instructed the director of health service at the regional hospital in Koforidua to conduct investigation into the matter the report of which he tendered.
He told the commission that the ministry in turn also wrote to the current director general of health service, Dr. Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira who was then the director of health at Koforidua and his response was that the service had no information regarding the out of court settlement.
The director in charge of legal matters said, Dr. Dankyira said when the matter went to court, the attorney general handled the case without them, hence their inability to have information regarding the out of court settlement.
According to him, the conclusion that came out after the committee set up by Dr. Appiah Denkyira in Koforidua discharged the said nurse who was alleged to have acted negligently and stated some portion of the committee’s conclusion.
“Based on the above findings, the committee recommended that nurse Alice Asare should be discharged of the said allegation, as she took all precautionary measures to avoid the unfortunate situation.
“Also in view of the serious consequence that may arise out of a doctor’s refusal to state the rate of confusion, management should endeavor to communicate to doctors of such need and institute appropriate sanctions to discipline doctors who flout such rules to set a deterrent to avoid entangling the hospital rules.”
“Furthermore, the protocol under the administration of intravenous therapy must be displayed at all wards and units.”
But information available to the commission indicates that Esther Boadu initially requested a damages cost of 50 million old cedis but ended up receiving GHc30,000.00
Source: Daily Heritage
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