Victims of medical negligence to get support and justice

Victims of medical negligence at various health facilities across the country will get justice following the formation of the coalition of patients against medical malpractice and systemic failures in Ghana. The coalition aims at championing quality healthcare delivery as well as seeking justice for medical malpractice victims resulting from the actions and inactions of health practitioners in Ghana. The coalition, which is the first of its kind in Ghana, is being led by a patient-centred non-governmental Organisation called the Advocacy for Medical Malpractices Victims (AMMV), which is made up of lawyers, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who contribute knowledge and conduct investigations into alleged medical malpractice cases in Ghana. In an exclusive interview with OTEC News Kwame Agyenim Boateng on Thursday, November 3, 2022, the Executive Secretary for the Advocacy for Medical Malpractices Victims, Mr. Kwame Appiah, said the coalition aims at becoming a mouthpiece for all patients in Ghana and especially malpractices victims. The coalition will support patients to access justice and justice for such victims through the payment of fair and adequate compensation to victims of medical negligence. "The incidents of medical negligence have been a major social cancer in Ghana, and so our organisation seeks to work towards reducing it by way of empowering patients to speak up against medical malpractice. "We listen to the ordeals of these patients, investigate their complaints, and help them arrive at either seeking compensation or justice. Mr. Appiah expressed worry over the continuous rise of cases of medical malpractice in the country and called on practitioners to be extra careful when attending to patients. Ghanaians can join the coalition by simply dialling *2818# on either Vodafone or MTN to follow the prompt. He pledged the organisation's commitment to empowering victims of medical negligence, adding that once the victims get to know their responsibilities, those in the health sector would up their game as well and do the needful.