Abandoned patient in bush: Patient was declared well and discharged to her preferred destination – Winneba Trauma Hospital

Medical Director of Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba, Dr. Prah George Kwame has issued an incident report on the alleged abandonment of a patient in a bush by the hospital.

According to Dr. George Kwame, the patient was an unknown person, knocked down by an unknown driver through a ‘hit and ran’, on May, 29 in Gomoa Ojobi community.

After which the National Ambulance Service called the Social Welfare Officer of the hospital to inquire whether they are ready to receive the patient.

Full Text: Incident report submitted by Medical Director of Trauma and Specialist Hospital, Winneba on abandonment of patient in bush
In his incident report, the Medical Director said the patient was received and treated well, with care and empathy although there was no family to cater for the bills.

“After the necessary examinations were done, Plaster of Paris (POP) was cast on both lower limbs of the patient due to fracture of the tibia bones. The hospital as usual took absolute responsibility for feeding, medication and housekeeping of the patient.

“The patient had been on admission for six (6) days and finally discharged on the 3’d June, 2024 after being declared well. The medical record is tendered in as evidence,” portions of his report highlighted.Dr. George Kwame continued that from interactions between the social welfare officer and the patient, it was established that the patient was a resident of Gomoa Ojobi community, a fact which the National Ambulance confirmed the location of the pick up.

He stressed that the patient after gaining some strength wished to be sent back to “where she was picked up.”He added that the social welfare officers then reached a consensus to send her back to her community, Gomoa Ojobi.

He noted that the national ambulance, the social welfare officer and a staff of the hospital were detailed to transport the patient to her choice of destination.

“Moreover, after the patient was declared well by the Clinician, coupled with the fact that she was itching to leave the hospital, a consensus was reached by the two social welfare officers to send her back to Gomoa Ojobi as agreed by the two social workers.“At this juncture, the hospital Ambulance accompanied by the social welfare officer and a staff of the hospital were detailed to transport her accordingly to the preferred destination of her choice after clothing her nicely and made available to her a wheel chair,” his report added.

Dr. George Kwame explained that “before the departure from the hospital to Ojobi, the Social Welfare Officer interacted with his counterpart at Ojobi to inform her that the patient was being brought back to Ojobi and she assured to take over.”

According to him, the hospital played its role of taking care of the patient and empathizing with her if the matter is to be anlaysed objectively.

The hospital, he said is operated by “well-trained health professionals and will not for a moment misconduct themselves to dent the corporate image of the Ghana Health Service and its own image as a secondary referral facility.”“Furthermore, mention should be made clearly that this had not been the first time this hospital had played “Good Samaritan “role by taking care of patients of such calibre and delivering them back safely to their community after getting well. Records are available to authenticate the veracity of this claim.,” Dr. George Kwame stated.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service has set up a 5-member committee to investigate circumstances leading to officials of the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital allegedly abandoning a patient in the bush at Gomoa Ojobi.