It came as a shock when Winneba Hospital abandoned an elderly accident victim in the woods. Unable to speak due to her condition, the woman was taken by the hospital in an ambulance and left in the woods under the mercies of the elements, where she later died.
Questions are being raised about the hospital’s procedures when the relatives of accident victims cannot be reached. Normally, hospitals are expected to publish notices in daily newspapers, organize press conferences, or release press statements to inform the public about unidentified patients. Over the years, it has been a standard practice for hospitals to announce mass burials for unidentified bodies in the mortuary. However, this protocol appears to have been grossly neglected in this case, leading to a tragic and avoidable death.
This act is criminal, the hospital administration, particularly the medical superintendent, should be held accountable. Critics are demanding answers and justice for the deceased woman.
Section 64 (a) of the Criminal Offences Act, states that the death of a person is caused by harm if the harm hastens death by any duration, no matter how short. This principle, known as “take your victim as you find him,” emphasizes that the vulnerability of the victim does not absolve the perpetrator of responsibility. Section 64 (b) further clarifies that it is irrelevant if the harm would not have caused death but for the victim’s age, illness, or other condition at the time when the harm was caused.
Article 15 of the 1992 Constitution protects the dignity of all persons and dictates that no person shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; (b) any other condition that detracts or likely to detract from his dignity and worth as a human being.
The public outcry is growing, with demands for not only thorough investigations and accountability from the hospital officials responsible for this grievous mishandling but also for the prosecution of same.
The medical superintendent and hospital staff must provide answers and ensure such a tragedy never occurs again. This is murder and torturous, a right to a fundamental human rights particularly right to life has been breached.
How Winneba hospital throws out a patient leading to her death
By Edwin Kobina Coleman
