Breaching The Hippocratic Oath

An 18-year-old boy, Benjamin Amartey, died under worrying circumstances after a doctor on duty at the Ridge Hospital, Accra, turned him away. The doctor claimed he was tired and had come to the end of his shift. How callous!

It is heart-breaking reading this unfortunate testimonial of a health facility whose enviable records date back to the colonial era when it was called European Hospital.

In recent times, though, the Director of the facility, Dr Emmanuel Obeng-Apori, has had to do a lot of PR to undo the negative image of the facility courtesy of some bad doctors and nurses.

A health facility cannot have an enviable image whose doctors do not uphold the demands of the Hippocratic Oath. Such breaches have led to untold hardship on patients and even death, as in the case of Benjamin Amartey.

The deceased's father has expectedly given everything to God because after all he cannot reverse the situation. Such a remark is symptomatic of frustration and helplessness by somebody who has lost confidence in a country whose citizenship he holds by birth. He might not even have the money to fight a legal case to demand justice. So sad!

The story of Ridge Hospital is only a tip of the iceberg about the unethical happenings in some public health facilities across the country. Since only a fragment of the population can afford the cost of medical attention in private hospitals, majority of Ghanaians will make do with the insulting and unbecoming conduct of some doctors and nurses in public hospitals.

There are stories about patients attracting the wrath of nurses when they call these professionals to come to their assistance in the wards. First time pregnant women unable to push well in the labour ward are sometimes abused by frustrated midwives in some public hospitals.

It is unimaginable how a doctor can turn away a patient who manifests symptoms of food poisoning, when he knows the implications of such a condition.

That was exactly what transpired at Ridge and we find it unfortunate and regrettable. We are pleased that the matter has been referred to the General Medical and Dental Council for further action.

Doctors and nurses who exhibit similar traits as the doctor did do not have any business being in the medical and nursing professions.

Benjamin Amartey would not have died had the doctor on duty been responsible and appreciative of the importance of his job. It is not for nothing that during war doctors attend to enemy soldiers when they are injured. This underscores the special circumstances of the medical profession and the importance of life regardless of nationality and social status.

We cannot be placated by a so-called gargantuan apology from the authorities of the Ridge Hospital. Death has occurred out of the carelessness of a good-for-nothing doctor. If such a person is a surgeon, he could pose danger to patients he opens up for surgical procedures. Shameful and unacceptable, we dare state.