I know a lot have been written and said about this issue, but I think it is not too much until things really change, so I also want to have a bite of the cherry.
This is not just an isolated case; it is happening everyday around the country, mothers are losing their babies with reckless abundance.
Suweiba Mumuni’s case became a subject of public debate and enquiry because her family unlike other families, who have lost their children through the recklessness of Medical Professionals, has decided that they were not going to take the explanation given by the hospital that the baby was dead and burnt.
Doctors and Nurses in this country, have abandon their oath to take care of us when we are sick and need their service. They have also joined the bandwagon of workers, who are always quick to remind us that they are not satisfied with their conditions of service. They embark on strike more than any other workers groupings in this country.
They are categorized as ‘essential service providers’ because without them, life cannot be fully lived. Unfortunately, the passion with which Doctors and nurses of yester years attached to their work is missing. These days they put their interests above the interest of their patients. It is more about how much I can get, rather than how many lives I can save.
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), is among the best hospitals we have in this country, in fact apart from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, it is
the next biggest in terms of resources and prestige, this is why it is unpardonable that a hospital of such nature could be a conduit for denying mothers and fathers the one joy that every parent wish for and that is a child.
On February 27, the Ministry of Health (MoH), gave KATH 14 days to produce 5 babies declared dead.
Below is a story captured by Myjoyonline.Com
The Ministry of Health has given a 14-day ultimatum to management of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to produce five babies declared dead at the facility.
The ministry issued the directive after it concluded investigations into the alleged missing stillbirth babies at the facility early this month.
The nation has for weeks been gripped by the story of a baby declared dead at birth at the hospital although the facility admits it cannot find the body. The family of the baby suspects nurses and doctors at the facility conspired to steal their child.
It has however emerged that on the same day that the baby was controversially declared dead, there were 16 other deliveries, five of which were declared dead at birth.
The doctor on duty and the head of midwifery on duty have been asked to take their accumulated leave.
They have also been referred to the appropriate Councils for further investigations.
“With immediate effect the Board, Management and CEO of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital [should] account for the corpse of the five (5) still born babies delivered on the said date within 14 working days for burial by the families,” Health Minister Madam Sherry Ayittey said at a press conference.
“We are working hard to reduce neonatal death and also accelerating our effort of reducing maternal and child mortality and morbidity that is why we take this issue seriously,” she stressed.
According to the minister, the committee that investigated the issue discovered that job descriptions were not clearly spelt out at the facility and new staff were not being supervised to ensure adherence to standard operation procedures.
Meanwhile, the family of Suwaiba Mumuni, whose baby is among the five missing babies, say the minister’s directive was welcoming to the family and their sympathizers.
“It shows the institutions are really working,” Mohammed Abdul Rahman, brother of Suwaiba told Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday.
The two weeks ultimatum elapsed last week and still Suweiba’s baby can’t be found and no explanation has been given.
Let assume without admitting that the baby passed as claimed by the Officials of KATH, so the baby cannot be resurrected, it is fair to also suggest that whoever is involved in denying the family the right and privilege of burial should answer for it.
A lot of things happen in this country, without us getting to the bottom of them and the perpetrators go unpunished.
It is my hope that this incident, will not be added to the many cases that has not seen the light of day and have always come back to haunt us,
because they get repeated.
The impunity with which people are conducting themselves is alarming, because they are no punitive action to serve as deterrent to others.
To whom much is giving, much is expected. Doctors and Nurses are among the best paid public sector workers in this country, we expect them to live above reproach. These avoidable mistakes cannot and should be entertained in the medical field.
The time has come for everybody to treat others the way he or she would like to be treated. The rate at which expectant mothers are losing their babies has reached unacceptable proportions.
I hope Suweiba would exercise her right to seek redress in the law court for the negligence and insensitive behavior of KATH authorities.
Ministry of Health must institute measures to punish whoever was involved in what happened to all the mothers who lost their babies on that day.
To the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and it allied groups, who found nothing wrong with the behavior of their colleagues, who have decided to drag their good name in the mud, I say shame on them.
God is watching all of us and as a Muslim, my Quran teaches me that we will all account for our stewardship on this earth. Whatever position or possession God gave you, you will account for it, whether you used it to advance the cause of humanity or for your personal aggrandizement at the expense of your fellow human beings.