Police Hospital, KATH appeal to relatives; go for discharged patients

The Ghana Police Hospital (GPH) in Accra and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi have appealed to relatives of patients who have been discharged but are still at the hospitals to go for them.

The call has become necessary beacause some patients have been discharged early this year, after they had undergonre the necessary treatment, but have been abandoned there by their relatives.

At the Police Hospital, five patients have been left stranded, while two have been deserted by their family members.

Kojo Ahe Mensah has been abandoned by his relatives at the Police Hospital

Meanwhile, two patients at KATH have stayed at the wards for close to three months even though they have long been discharged.

The five at the GPH have been identified as Bob, 67; Stephen Gakpetor, 60; Abu Issah, 30; Thomas Yeboah, 27, and Kojo Ahe Mensah, 35.

Out of the number, four were taken to the facility by good Samaritans and Police patrol teams between August 22 and August 23, 2020, while the fifth has been at the facility since May this year.

The Head of Public Affairs at the hospital, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, and the Social Welfare Officer of the Directorate of Medicine at KATH, Ms Rita Owusu-Ansah, made these known in separate interviews with The Mirror.

Unknown patients
“Eight unknown patients were brought to the Ghana Police Hospital in January. Two of them were later identified and reunited with their relatives in Bibiani in the Western North Region and Dansoman in Accra. Two foreigners among them had their country’s missions contacted for them to take over their cases. Three of the seven could not recover.

“27-year-old Thomas Yeboah from Akim Oda Aprade was found by the police by the roadside at Madina. The third victim is Stephen Gakpetor, believed to be in his late 50s or more.

Abu Issah has been left at the hospital

"He was brought in from the National Theatre area. The fourth person is Abu Issah, 28 years, from Zualungu. Meanwhile, Kojo Ahe Mensah, 35 years, was brought to us in May this year,” Mr Nketiah-Yeboah said.

Appeal
Mr Nketia-Yeboah asked relatives of the victims to report to the police hospital and take them home.

He advised motorists not to run away when they knocked people down, but should take them to the nearest medical facility or call the National Ambulance Service for assistance instead of fleeing from such accident scenes.

KATH
Early June when KATH discharged the two patients, their bills stood at GH¢5,921.33 which had been waived by the hospital.
Since then the hospital has been taking care of these patients.

“One of them, aside from being unable to talk, is unable to walk and the nurses have to lift him to be able to bath him and also change his diapers, as well as feed him.

“As it stands now, we can't let them go as they have nowhere to go,”she stated.

“It is not only physical cash that is spent taking care of them but also man hours”, she explained.
That, according to her, had made it very difficult for the Social Welfare Department to trace their relatives to come for them.

Dangers
Ms Owusu-Ansah said one of the patients posed a threat to the safety of other patients at the wards and even the staff due to his violent and unstable nature.

She said the previous night, he attacked one of the patients at the ward and had to be restrained by the security personnel and the staff on duty.

During a visit to the ward, this unnamed patient tried to attack this reporter as he chased him with a chair.

Homes for paupers
Ms Owusu-Ansah also called for the establishment of homes for paupers and destitutes to cater for such people.

She said there was the need for such homes to cater for the needs of paupers, the homeless and destitutes such that the streets would be rid of homeless people.