A nine week old baby in the central part of Ghana has died after a doctor of a health facility turned off his oxygen machine over a debt of $120 (GHS533).
Local media Class FM reported that parents of the infant were unable to raise money to settle their debt to the St. Gregory Hospital in the Kasoa community.
Their failure infuriated the doctor attending to the baby boy who had been struggling to breathe for days after his delivery.
Local media reported that the baby’s parents were making efforts to settle the debt and have him transferred to another hospital for treatment before the sadden turn of event.
Joy FM has reported that officials of Ghana’s Health Service have now ordered a probe into circumstances leading to the death of baby.
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare is reported to have said that it would be wrong for the doctor to remove oxygen mask from a patient if the patient had a greater chance of survival.
Managers of the hospital are also reported to have launched a probe into the incident with the doctor likely to face sanctions.
Medical officials refusing to attend to patients at health facilities in Ghana for failing to meet their treatment cost or settle their bills is common with many patients losing their lives in the process.
Source: Africafeeds.com
