The family of a 32-year-old chronic kidney disease patient who died while undergoing dialysis at the Tamale Teaching Hospital is demanding an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Sumaila Amadu, who depended on dialysis twice a week to stay alive, died on the night of August 25, 2026, during a routine dialysis session at the hospital’s Renal Clinic.

According to a report by myjoyonline.com on September 8, 2026, his family alleged that a power outage interrupted the session and that the unavailability of oxygen and failure of the hospital’s backup power system may have contributed to his death.

Sumaila’s brother, Salman Al Faris, a Ghanaian creative professional and CEO of Brilliance Media GH, said he spoke to his brother several times on the night of the incident.

According to Salman, he first called Sumaila at about 9:00 pm, when his brother told him that his dialysis session had begun.

He called again at approximately 10:20 pm and was told that Sumaila was still undergoing dialysis and would call him later.

However, during a third call at about 10:45 pm, Salman said he received news that his brother was struggling to breathe following a power blackout at the facility.

In a Facebook post on August 29, 2026, Salman said a friend who had accompanied Sumaila to the dialysis centre informed him that the hospital’s standby power plant was reportedly not working and that there was no oxygen available at the renal clinic at the time.

“My brother struggled to breathe during this critical period. Despite his efforts to survive, Sumaila eventually passed away,” Salman said.

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The family is now seeking answers on what happened during Sumaila’s final moments, particularly whether oxygen was available, what caused the interruption to his dialysis and whether the hospital’s emergency systems were functioning properly.

“A patient undergoing dialysis is already in a vulnerable medical condition. Reliable electricity, oxygen and emergency support can be matters of life and death,” Salman noted.

He said the family’s demand for an investigation was not driven by revenge but by the need to establish the truth and prevent a similar incident from happening to another patient.

“This is not only about Sumaila. Today, it is my brother. Tomorrow, it could be someone else’s brother, sister, mother, father or child,” he said.

Hospital acknowledges power outage

The Tamale Teaching Hospital confirmed that a power outage occurred on the night Sumaila died but has not established any link between the outage and his death.

In a statement dated August 31, 2026, the hospital said the power outage occurred at approximately 8:48 pm and was widespread, affecting areas beyond the hospital.

The hospital said it had constituted a multidisciplinary team to investigate the circumstances surrounding Sumaila’s death and submit its report within one week.

It explained that Sumaila had been scheduled for eight dialysis sessions in August and had successfully completed the first four.

“Sadly, during the fifth scheduled dialysis session, the patient’s clinical parameters changed unexpectedly and became inconsistent with the progress that had been recorded during the preceding sessions,” the hospital said.

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It added that the attending clinical team responded in accordance with established clinical protocols and standards of care.

On the availability of oxygen, the hospital said its medical oxygen system is an automated piped system integrated with the hospital’s electricity supply.

It said standby oxygen cylinders were available as a contingency measure to provide oxygen directly at patients’ bedsides when required.

The hospital also said it maintains standby generators and has technical personnel assigned on a rotational basis to operate and monitor them during power interruptions.

However, the statement did not specifically confirm whether the standby generators and oxygen backup systems were functioning at the time Sumaila experienced difficulty breathing.

Citing patient confidentiality, the hospital said it could not disclose further details about Sumaila’s clinical condition, treatment or the exact circumstances surrounding his death.

It urged the public to refrain from speculation while the investigation is ongoing.

The Amadu family, however, said the hospital’s explanation has not provided the answers they are seeking.

The family, which is mourning Sumaila at their home in Kintampo near Kyeremankuma, says it wants the investigation to establish whether any failure in the hospital’s emergency systems contributed to his death.

Sumaila’s mother described her son as more than just a child but also a friend, as the family prayed for Allah to forgive him, have mercy upon him and grant him Jannatul Firdaus.

“Rest in peace, my brother. You will never be forgotten,” Salman said.

MRA/BAI

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