President John Dramani Mahama has relieved the Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), Dr. Adam Atiku, of his duties pending an internal investigation into the death of a patient at its Accident and Emergency Ward, after it was accused of negligence.The deceased is said to have died due to the absence of a ventilator at the hospital. In a statement dated Monday, April 21, the hospital authorities expressed their condolences to the bereaved family and acknowledged the public’s growing concern.

It has revealed that a committee has been set up to look into the incident, with management urging the public to avoid speculating until the investigation is complete.“The hospital is committed to full transparency and will communicate the outcomes of the investigation once concluded,” parts of the statement noted.The health institution also emphasised its commitment to delivering quality healthcare and revealed that steps are underway to improve its emergency and critical care services in order to better serve the region’s population.

According to management, at the time, all four ICU beds which serve the entire Northern Region were fully occupied.Management added that based on first hand information, the patient had been referred from another facility for urgent medical attention.

However, upon assessment, it was determined that the patient required a highly specialised procedure which the Tamale Teaching Hospital is currently not equipped to perform due to limitations in both equipment and expertise.

Amid concerns over the matter, the Minister for Health, Hon Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, paid a working visit to the Hospital on Tuesday, April 22. The purpose of this visit was to obtain first-hand information regarding the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death.

However, the Minister expressed deep frustration upon learning that vital equipment including emergency unit ventilators, MRI scanners, diagnostic devices, and sterilisation tools were out of service. He criticised the facility’s condition, calling it “an unacceptable state of neglect,” and questioned why basic medical services were being outsourced to private health centres.In response, the Minister has committed to enhancing the maintenance of equipment in healthcare facilities.

“There is one thing I don’t understand. And I still don’t understand it, where the government will provide equipment for health facilities in this country. The equipment is only maintained when it develops faults. We are expecting government to either report it or maintain it?” the minister quizzed.

“There will be a new government policy directive. A special account will be created to fund the maintenance and replacement of equipment across all healthcare facilities in the country,” Mr Akandoh added.