Prof. Akosa saves Holy Family Hospital

Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director General of the Ghana Health Service on Friday saved Berekum Holy Family Hospital in Brong-Ahafo from being vandalized by an irate mob of relatives and friends who wanted the body of a 27-year-old man who had died at the hospital.

The Director General shed his official garb to conduct autopsy on the deceased to save the situation in the absence of a resident pathologist at the hospital.

When asked by Ghana News Agency in an interview what motivated him to intervene, Prof. Akosa replied: "I am a pathologist and the problem required the service of a pathologist to solve, so my arrival there at that material moment was a divine intervention for the hospital authorities."

"I had to assist the hospital authorities in that regard because apart from all other official duties, the basic function of any medical practitioner is to apply one's professional expertise in the supreme interest of the people."

Prof. Akosa explained at the end of his three-day working visit to the region that but for his timely arrival at the hospital, the emotionally charged youth would have vandalized and caused havoc at the hospital.

He said as at 1230 hours that day when he and his entourage of health personnel arrived at the hospital, the youth had barricaded the area and poured heaps of rubbish at the main entrance of the hospital.

The Director General told GNA that according to the people, the man's death was due to a curse on him and they therefore wanted the body to be released to them immediately for certain rituals and pacification rites to be performed at a shrine before burial.

He explained that the hospital authorities had refused to release the body "since the death occurred at 4.30 pm on Monday, June 16 and a post-mortem examination had to be conducted to ascertain the cause of death."

Prof. Akosa said the autopsy had not been performed as at Friday "because the hospital has no resident pathologist and the one who was to come from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi was still being expected."

The family had prepared for wake keeping and burial for the deceased the following day.

The youth, clad in red clothes and with red bands on their heads and hands and singing war songs, however felt the only alternative through which they could get the body was to resort to the intimidating tactics to compel and coerce the hospital authorities to release it to them, Prof. Akosa added.

He said after his rounds, including addressing a durbar of the hospital staff at 3 pm, "I performed the post-mortem to save the situation, finishing by 3.30 pm for the body to be released to them."

Dr. Anthony Ofosu, Berekum District Director of Health Services had earlier explained that the deceased was brought to hospital on the morning of Monday, June 16, complaining of abdominal pains.

He said the doctor on duty suspected typhoid perforation, which would have required surgery but whilst attending to him in the evening the patient died unexpectedly.