IPS students attack hospital after colleague's death

Accra, Oct. 20, GNA - Irate and aggrieved students of the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) on Monday charged at the Legon Hospital, Accra blaming the death of one of their colleague to the negligence of the medical staff of the hospital.

The death of Mr Samuel Boateng, 26, a final year student in Chartered Accountancy, on Monday morning, according to the students, could have been prevented if nurses and the doctor who were on duty had given him a prompt attention.

The students demanded a report, stating that their colleague died at the hospital due to negligence on the part of the hospital. Clad in red bands, holding sticks, placards with some angrily broke louvre blades. They said, "this is not the first time such an incident has happened and that time has come for necessary action to be taken to address such anomaly".

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview at the hospital, Mr Frank Owusu-Boateng, a student who brought the sick colleague said the deceased collapsed in the morning after returning from the washroom and was rushed to the hospital.

"When we entered the yard, around 018 hours this morning, we met a medical officer at the entrance who, after narrating our story to, said there was no bed so we should take him to either the Police or 37 military hospital".

According to Owusu-Boateng, he, together with another colleague managed to get the sick student to the emergency ward where the doctor on duty was on the phone with another nurse standing by.

"The nurse was just looking idle whilst we struggled to lift up our sick friend until latter the doctor came in to check his pulse only to tell us that our friend was brought in dead.

"Sammy was alive and even breathing alright when we got there and it was there that he took his last breath, how then could he have died before arrival", the aggrieved questioned with tears streaming down his cheeks.

According to Mr Afari Danso, Administrator of the hospital, records at the emergency ward indicated that the student who was brought there at 18.15 hours this morning died before arrival and "any death that occurs less than 24 hours in a hospital is always described as coroner's case".

He said the hospital would request for a post mortem to determine the actual cause of the death.

Mr William Dapaah, Registrar of the Institute together with the executives of the Students Representative Council who could not handle the angry students were able to do so with the help of the Nima Divisional Police.

Mr Dapaah persuaded the students to stop the demonstration and the destruction of hospital property.

He advised them to put into writing their grievances and to present it to the appropriate authority for the necessary action. Investigations made by the GNA also revealed that IPS, since its establishment in the early 60's has no clinic, an ambulance or a nurse attached to the school to offer first aid services to students.