According to the Ministry in a statement posted on its Facebook page on October 2, the decision follows investigations by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), which concluded that the employees identified as having contributed to the planning, and evacuation of the patient from the hospital to Ojobi, where she was abandoned until her death, did not act appropriately.

The committee also recommended that the Ghana Health Service sanction the staff through internal disciplinary procedures.

The Ministry, however, believes that in light of the gravity of the issue captured in the report, involving the loss of life, further investigations should be carried out by the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice. Consequently, the Ministry of Health has requested the assistance of the A-G to initiate an investigation into the case to determine the culpability or otherwise of the affected staff and take any further action deemed appropriate.

You would recall in June this year a patient (an accident victim) who was on admission at the Trauma & Specialist Hospital at Winneba was discharged and abandoned in a bush, where she died few days later.

The incident attracted wide condemnation amid calls for action to be taken against the hospital staff involved. The Ministry of Health set up a six-member committee to investigate the issue.