KATH Missing Baby: Family Unhappy With MoH Report

The family of the mother at the centre of the missing baby saga at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), in Kumasi, has expressed its dissatisfaction with the report issued by the Ministry of Health on the issue. According to the family, the report failed to mention anything about the lost baby which was at the centre of the controversy and indicated its preparedness to seek justice. Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Mr Abdul Rahman, the Spokesperson for Ms Suweiba, said although the ministry did not contact the family or Madam Suweiba during the investigations, the family would request for a copy of the report and, after a careful study with its lawyers, take the next line of action. He said it was only the Nurses and Midwifery Council that interacted with Ms Suweiba and her family on the issue, adding, �We are shocked and surprised that the ministry, after failing to contact us on the issue, had issued this report which did not mention the missing baby.� Mr Rahman explained that the portions of the report available in the media indicated that the ministry had dealt with what it could and, therefore, the family now had the option of using all legitimate means to seek justice. In February this year, Ms Suweiba�s baby, said to be stillborn disappeared under unexplained circumstances. This prompted some Zongo youth to besiege the KATH, and assaulted some medical staff. The Ministry of Health issued its final report in which two midwives at KATH were suspended for their roles in the missing baby saga. The report Meanwhile, the Principal Midwifery Officer, Ms Marian Asare, the Midwife in charge of the KATH Labour Ward, has been suspended from midwifery practice for four weeks without pay, while Ms Patience Amponsah, who was the head of the night shift at the time of the incident, has been suspended from the practice of midwifery for two weeks without pay. The sanctions are part of recommendations the Ministry of Health received from three institutions � KATH, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Medical and Dental Council. Stand-off The story of the missing baby led to a stand off between the family and the management of the hospital. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Professor Ohene Adjei, was asked to take all his accumulated leave with immediate effect for investigations into the incident to proceed. The orderly, whose name was only given as Baba, who was initially accused of taking custody of the missing baby, was also made to go on leave until the police completed their investigations into the case. In a statement then, the Ministry of Health said it would develop a Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) for maternal and child health units in all hospitals in the country. The ministry has also tasked the management of all hospitals to review existing systems to improve performance.