We’re not responsible for the death of coronavirus patient - Effia Nkwanta Hospital

The Effia Nkwanta Hospital has denied causing the death of a 55-year-old Covid-19 patient as alleged by the deceased family.

The patient Paulus Okine, 55, was referred to the Covid-19 management centre on Wednesday, August 18, 2021.

However, the patient reportedly left the facility because he claimed to have been misdiagnosed by the facility.

He is said to have escaped from the care of the facility.

He was reportedly spotted by the security guard who asked him to stop but the patient allegedly threatened to harm the security guard.

According to reports, he jumped the wall of the hospital and was chased by some hospital staff.

The wife of the deceased, Madam Margaret, said a carpenter at the hospital told her the late husband jumped a wall and those who chased him started shouting that he was a thief and had escaped from Covid-19 care.

She alleged that she saw the security guard with her late husband’s phone, took it from him, and cursed them for killing her husband.

But Public Relations Officer for the Hospital Mr Christian Baidoo told Nyankonton Mu Nsem that the family should not blame the hospital because they can not be held liable for the death of the 55-year-old man.

He explained that the man was diagnosed as positive for Covid-19, admitted to the facility, and attempted to escape from care.

He revealed the hospital had tested and confirmed the man was positive and had taken steps to transfer him in consultation with the family.

He disclosed that the family consented to the directive, and the man was even on oxygen at the time he was being transferred to the Covid-19 management facility.

Mr Baidoo said the family of the deceased were aware the man had plans of escaping from the facility but failed to inform the hospital.

He said when the man was diagnosed, it was not advisable to have kept him at the ward with other patients, so I don’t know why he escaped. He had earlier called the family and told them he was not positive and wanted to escape. But his family failed to inform us. If they had told us, we would have referred them to a psychosocial expert because they doubt being positive”, he added.

Mr Charles Baidoo said it was unfortunate that someone who was Covid-19 positive escaped when no one had done anything wrong to him.

He asked the media to be circumspect in their reportage of the incident and not speculate.

"I am appealing to those, speculating, to desist from doing that. As a health facility, our core responsibility is the welfare of the patients,” he noted.