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22.10.2014 General News

Health Worker Drags Coca Cola To Court

By Graphic.Com.Gh
Health Worker Drags Coca Cola To Court
22.10.2014 LISTEN

The Coca-Cola Bottling Company has been dragged to court by a staff of the Ghana Health Service, who claims she consumed a Coca-Cola drink containing a decomposed wall gecko.

The plaintiff, Ms Gloria Dordunu, is accusing the company of negligence, when it failed to adopt best industry practice by failing to detect a wall gecko in the particular coca-cola bottle, whose content was consumed by her resulting in her hospitalisation.

According to a statement of claim accompanying the suit filed at the Accra High Court, the plaintiff in May last year, was served a bottle of Coca Cola at a meeting and after consuming a substantial quantity of the content she tasted some foreign particles on her tongue.

It stated that upon close examination of the remaining content, she saw a black substance at the bottom of the bottle and instantly became nauseated and sick.

It said one of the organisers of the meeting by name Sebastian Otchere accompanied the plaintiff to send the remaining content of the Cocoa-Cola bottle to the Eastern Regional office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).

According to the statement, the Eastern Regional Director of the FDA upon receipt of the complaint lodged a formal complaint to the regional branch manager of the Coca-Cola Company, whose name was given only as Segbefia and a meeting was arranged.

It said two days after the said meeting, Segbefia called the plaintiff and informed her that her complaint had been forwarded to the defendant and asked the plaintiff to bring the bottle to him (Segbefia) to which the plaintiff declined for fear of losing her evidence in the event of litigation.

A report from the FDA dated August 20, 2013, according to the statement, established that the foreign particle found in the bottle was a decomposed wall gecko.

It said the plaintiff was admitted at the Atua Government Hospital in Krobo Odumase in the Eastern Region on May 22, 2013 for illness, pain and the trauma she suffered as a result of consuming the product.

The plaintiff is therefore seeking a declaration that the defendant was negligent in its production of the particular coca cola bottle and its contents and also seeking general damages.

She is further demanding cost, including plaintiff's solicitor's fees on full indemnity basis and any other reliefs the court may grant.

A medical report signed by Dr. Moses Dokurugu, Medical Officer at the Atua Government Hospital confirmed that the plaintiff had indeed sought medical attention at the health facility after she had complained of severe epigastric pain with vomiting.

According to the report, the plaintiff's condition could be the result of the “ingested macerated gecko”

Dr Dokurugu on February 13, 2014 attended to the plaintiff who was treated for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.

The defendant has, however, denied the plaintiff's claims contending that it employs the highest quality control standards in its production process.

It statement of defence said among other things that as the producer of the world's “most recognisable” brand, the company exercises an exceptional level of vigilance and inspection procedure in ensuring that the quality of its products surpasses international standards.

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