Compensate And Get Over With Suweiba Case

By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.
Garden City, New York
May 24, 2014

The reported denial by officials of the Ministry of Health (MOH) that the Ministry has attempted to settle the Suweiba Mumin tragedy with the sum of GHC 50,000 does not advance matters one way or another. For ultimately, this case would have to be settled in cedis and pesewas or the government could be hit with a humongous lawsuit on the order of a judgment-debt payment.

It may be recalled that Ms. Mumin is the woman who, having successfully delivered a baby girl at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, in the Asante Regional Capital of Kumasi, was later told that her baby had suddenly died of causes and/or circumstances that have yet to be credibly explained to her and her husband (See "Health Ministry Denies Attempting to Compensate Suweiba" Citifmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 5/22/14).

What has further complicated matters is the failure by KATH officials to present the mother of the allegedly deceased baby with the mortal remains of the latter. Another problem here is that even if she is handsomely compensated by the Ministry of Health, there would still linger wistful questions about whether, indeed, Ms. Mumin's baby had actually died. This is because allegations have surfaced regarding an unorthodox practice at Ghana's second-largest public hospital, which has seen many a newly-born baby being squirreled out of the delivery ward and routinely sold to wealthy couples eager to have babies but are biologically unable to do so.

We must also promptly observe that the Suweiba Mumin case is only one of several that have been reported at the KATH in recent years. And about the same time that Ms. Mumin's baby was reported to have gone missing, several other mothers recently delivered at the hospital were also reported to have suffered a similar fate. What this means is that the successful settlement of the Mumin case may not be the end of the headache of KATH and MOH officials and, in effect, the headache of the Mahama government.

In his denial of any attempt to reach a monetary settlement with the thirty-something-year-old Ms. Mumin, the Public Relations Officer of the Health Ministry was reported to have said that the relevant MOH officials were studying an investigative report on the case which was recently submitted to them, and that at the appropriate moment "a definite stance" would be taken on the matter. It is, however, not clear what such a stance may entail.

What is clear, presently, is the need for the aforesaid report to go beyond this one single incident among an allegedly legion number of similar cases. This means that KATH and MOH officials will have to ensure the immediate institutionalization of effective and far-reaching security measures, not only at the KATH but also at all the other major public health centers across the country.

___________________________________________________________