KATH ‘HIV’ blood report out

The hospital was accused of having sold contaminated blood to a patient

The five-member committee tasked to investigate an alleged contaminated blood issue at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has completed its work.

The committee, headed by Dr. David Opare Agyapong, Head of National Public Health Reference Laboratory, officially presented their findings on Friday evening.

The details of their findings were not disclosed to anybody, including the media and KATH management.

It was learnt that Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu has the sole right to make the report public.

On December 1, 2018, a patient who was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kumasi alleged that a blood they purchased from the KATH Transfusion Medicine Unit was contaminated.

The matter generated tension and wide debate across the country.

The management of KATH, headed by Dr. Oheneba Danso, quickly formed an independent committee to investigate the case to unearth the truth or otherwise.

Originally, the committee was tasked to use two weeks to investigate the matter but due to the complex nature of their work, they completed their independent investigations within three weeks.

Members of the committee included ACP Peter Baba of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), Ms. Abigail Attah of the Food & Drugs Authority (FDA) and Rowland Adukpo of the National AIDS Control Programme.

The rest of the committee members were Prof. Baafuor Kofi Opoku, Medical Director of KATH and Emmanuel Aboagye, KATH Hospital Administrator, who was the secretary of the committee.

Dr. Opare Agyapong commended members of the committee for working extremely hard within that short period that they were tasked to investigate the case, adding that the committee had carried out an excellent work.

On his part, KATH CEO Dr. Oheneba Danso has assured the public to deliver the report to Mr. Agyeman Manu for him to take the necessary action to help boost healthcare in general in the country.

He saluted the committee for working extremely hard within just three weeks to investigate the matter, hinting that the findings of the committee would surely impact positively on the health sector.