The Management of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) has dismissed renewed allegations circulating on social media over the death of a patient, stating that the matter was thoroughly investigated six years ago and that no wrongdoing was established.
In a public statement issued on Saturday, July 4, the hospital said the viral post, captioned “Folks, last night I lost my wife at Ridge Hospital,” relates to a patient who died six years ago. The deceased was identified as the wife of the Director of the Institute of Languages, Dr Emmanuel Kobina Kuto.
While extending its continued sympathy to the bereaved family, the hospital stressed its commitment to delivering quality healthcare.
“While the Hospital extends its continued sympathy to the family, we remain committed to providing compassionate, timely, quality, and comprehensive healthcare services to all patients,” the statement said.
Addressing the allegations contained in the social media post, Management explained that the circumstances surrounding the patient’s death were investigated in collaboration with the relevant state authorities shortly after the incident occurred.
According to the hospital, “the circulating allegations regarding the said patient’s death were thoroughly investigated and managed in collaboration with relevant state authorities six (6) years ago.”
It further stated that the investigation cleared its staff of any wrongdoing.
“The investigation confirmed that no wrong or inappropriate medication was administered to the patient. The nurses’ laughter was completely unrelated to this index case,” the statement noted.
The hospital also disclosed that an autopsy was conducted at the Police Hospital at the request of a coroner as part of the investigations.
Management encouraged anyone with lingering concerns about the matter to seek clarification through the appropriate official channels.
“Any party who still has concerns regarding this matter is encouraged to contact the Greater Accra Regional Hospital Management or the appropriate supervisory or regulatory authorities for redress,” it said.
The hospital also appealed to the public to avoid drawing conclusions from clinical discussions overheard during ward rounds or training sessions.
“The Hospital Management urges clients and their relatives to seek direct clarification on matters that concern them, rather than eavesdropping on clinical discussions among clinicians during ward rounds and other training and teaching sessions and drawing misleading conclusions out of them,” the statement added.
Management further cautioned bloggers and social media users against publishing or sharing unverified information, warning that such actions could cause unnecessary distress to the bereaved family and undermine public confidence in the hospital.
It urged members of the public with complaints or concerns to use the hospital’s official communication channels or the Ministry of Health’s client complaints hotlines to seek clarification.
