Greater Accra Regional Hospital clarifies viral post on patient's death

The Management of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital has clarified that a social media post alleging negligence in the death of a patient relates to an incident that occurred six years ago and was thoroughly investigated.

In a statement, the hospital said it had taken note of a post circulating on social media bearing the caption, "Folks, last night I lost my wife at Ridge Hospital."

According to Management, the post refers to the death of the wife of the Director of the Institute of Languages, Dr. Emmanuel Kobina Kuto, which occurred six years ago.

The hospital expressed its condolences to the bereaved family and reaffirmed its commitment to providing compassionate, timely and quality healthcare to all patients.

It stated that the allegations surrounding the patient's death were comprehensively investigated at the time in collaboration with the appropriate state authorities.

According to the hospital, the investigations established that no wrong or inappropriate medication had been administered to the patient. It further noted that allegations suggesting nurses' laughter contributed to the incident were found to be unrelated to the circumstances of the case.

Management also disclosed that an autopsy was conducted at the Police Hospital at the request of a coroner as part of the investigation.

The hospital encouraged anyone with unresolved concerns regarding the matter to engage the appropriate supervisory and regulatory authorities or contact the hospital directly.

It also appealed to the public, bloggers and social media users to refrain from publishing or sharing unverified and misleading information, warning that such reports could cause unnecessary distress to the bereaved family, misinform the public and unfairly damage the reputation of the hospital and its staff.

Management further advised patients and their relatives to seek clarification through the hospital's official communication channels rather than drawing conclusions from clinical discussions held during ward rounds or training sessions.

The hospital also encouraged members of the public to use its official communication channels and the Ministry of Health's client complaints mechanisms to seek information or lodge complaints.