Family accuses St Monica’s SHS management of negligence over death of 17-year-old
The family of a 17-year-old student of St Monica’s Senior High School(SHS) at Asante Mampong has accused the school of negligence following the death of their relative.
The deceased, Patience Amanyi also known as Maame Sakyiwaa reportedly died on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, after an unknown illness.
According to the family, her attempts to secure permission to seek medical attention outside the school were denied by the authorities.
She was instead asked to seek treatment from the sick bay which was not equipped to handle her case.
Richard Monnie, a cousin of the deceased who spoke to the media on behalf of the family said they received news of her death a few hours after she had contacted her mother by phone. She said the sad news has left the family in confusion.
“We are very much sure that our relative died long before the call came through, and the person who called was not Maame Sakyiwaa. It was someone who spoke on her behalf because we are told she managed and visited the sick bay of the school on Saturday, May 20, 2023, and went to church on Sunday, but on Monday, May 22, 2023, when she went to class, she could not sit upright, putting her head on the table throughout the day.
“Per information available to us, Maame Sakyiwaa was kept at the school sick bay without hospital attention,” Monnie said.
He questioned why the school had not been in touch with the family during Maame Sakyiwaa’s deteriorating health.
He also expressed misgivings about the decision-making process of the school while recounting an incident from the previous month.
Monnie alleged that the deceased reported two days after the school’s reopening and was denied entry to the dormitory upon her arrival and was subsequently made to sleep outdoors for two days.
He did, however, add that the school has promised to launch a prompt investigation to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death.
Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA), Kwabena Amofa-Sarpong has denied claims that the student was denied permission to seek medical attention outside the school.
According to Mr. Amofa-Sarpong, she was given permission to visit the Mampong Government Hospital, where she succumbed to the illness.