Friday, 29 March

There was no negligence, misdiagnosis in death of 24-year-old woman – GARH

Health News
Greater Accra Regional Hospital

The management of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) has denied reports that the death of 24-year-old Barbara Oforiwaa Agyemang at the facility was as a result of medical negligence.

According to the Hospital, “There was no issue of medical negligence neither was there any misdiagnosis and the staff at the holding centre explained the circumstances leading to her death to her family and the family did not resort to management with any official complaint.”

This comes after the mother of the deceased, Paulina Agyemang accused the nurse and doctors at the facility of misdiagnosing her daughter as having contracted COVID-19.

According to her, the late Barbara was taken to the COVID-19 holding centre of the facility where she spent the rest of her days until her death.

She believes her daughter was denied the appropriate treatment needed to recover, as officials treated her for the novel coronavirus rather than the ailment she had reported to the facility with.

But the hospital, in a statement, explained that Barbara was brought in after being referred from the Faith Mission Hospital with a diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis, which is a severe infection of the kidneys.

On arrival at the regional hospital on 11 June 2020, she complained of general weakness, nausea and flank pain of a two-week duration.

The statement said after an assessment, the medical team made a diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis and admitted her to the hospital’s medical ward and started the patient on antibiotics.

Upon other complaints of fever and chills on the second day, “further diagnosis of bronchopneumonia was made and on account of the respiratory symptoms and fever, a suspicion of COVID-19 infection was also considered.”

Barbara was then transferred to the hospital’s COVID-19 holding centre.

According to the statement, contrary to claims by her mother, “all ongoing treatments for acute pyelonephritis and bronchopneumonia were continued for her. Samples were taken for COVID-19 screening test.”

“On Day 8, she was noticed to breathless intermittently. Laboratory test results indicated the possibility of clot formation and therefore prophylactic anticoagulation treatment was scaled up to treatment doses.”

Barbara died on 19 June 2020.

Her COVID-19 test results, however, returned negative.

The statement further explained that the decision to transfer the deceased to the COVID-19 holding centre is in accordance with standard practice and did not affect the quality of care.

“It was rather a good precautionary measure so that other patients on the original ward are not unduly exposed,” the hospital said.

The hospital expressed their condolences to the family for their loss.

 

Source: classfmonline.com