The family of former President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bice ‘Obour’ Osei Kuffour, is demanding that the Ridge Hospital provides an autopsy report on Obour’s father who died at the facility on Friday, March 27, 2020.
According to a letter written by lawyers of the family, they are worried that the hospital has not communicated to them what to do to plan for the aftermath of the death of their beloved.
The letter also requests that an autopsy report is given to the family or else they will contract an independent medical officer to conduct it.
A few days ago, it was reported that Obour’s father who passed away at the facility on Friday 27, 2020 had tested positive for coronavirus.
Earlier reports also suggested that the former MUSIGA President and parliamentary hopeful for the Asante Akyem South constituency did not inform the health workers at the Ridge Hospital of his father’s travel history.
However, in a press statement, Obour explained that the said report was not true and that he gave all the necessary details at the hospital.
“Why would I inform the Ambulance Team of his travel history and Covid test and refuse to give same details at the hospital? Let’s even assume without admitting that in the heat of everything escalated by fear of losing my father, I forgot to mention it to the hospital staff. Did the ambulance staff also forget to give the details?” he wrote.
In the meantime, the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has assured that an investigation is currently ongoing to get to the bottom of the matter.
Obour’s account of his father’s death
Read below, a statement Bice Osei Kuffour released on Friday, March 27, 2020, to narrate events leading to the death of his father, Nana Osei Boansi Kuffuor who returned to Ghana from the United Kingdom on March 19, 2020:
“With sadness and a heavy heart, I announce the death of Nana Osei Boansi Kuffour my biological father.
Nana returned from the UK on 19th March after his yearly visit to the family. Upon his return, he was fine but began coughing on Sunday 22nd.
We arranged for his blood sample to be tested and he tested positive for malaria.
We began treatment for malaria but his condition got worse. We arranged to bring him to Accra to be tested for COVID 19 at Ridge Hospital on Wednesday. They informed us that his report will be ready on Friday but we should keep him in quarantine which we did.
On Thursday night he had extreme difficulty with breathing so we called the Ambulance service and informed them of his condition. We told them the patient has tested for COVID 19 and awaiting his results so they should come along with appropriate apparel.
The ambulance team took him to Ridge Hospital around 11 pm on Thursday, March 26. We informed the health team at Ridge of his condition and also informed them he had earlier taken a test for COVID and awaiting results.
Late this afternoon, the Drs informed us that he is likely to be a confirmed COVID case and as such we should take steps to do a contact trace and quarantine ourselves. Sadly he passed on this evening.
Under the circumstances, I understand nobody can come over to pay their respects and commiserate with our family as we are all on a 14 Day quarantine though I and my assistant who had close contact with him have both tested negative for COVID 19 as at today 27th March.
These are the true facts about my father’s demise.”