Missing Twin Saga: Scans showing twins were incorrect – 37 Military Hospital

The 37 Military Hospital had explained that ultra-sound scans conducted on a woman which showed twins before delivery were inaccurate.

According to the hospital, the errors were detected after investigations were conducted into the alleged missing twin saga.

This was disclosed at a meeting held on Monday, January 23, 2023, between senior military officers and the family of Daniel Naawu – husband of the woman who was expecting twins, at the Bur­ma Camp.

The hospital has, therefore, apologised to the couple and said the issue would serve as a wake-up call to the hospital.

They also promised to release the result of an investigative report to the family on Friday, January 27.

Present at the meeting were the Chief of Staff(COS) at the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Major General Nicho­las Peter Andoh,  Brig. Gen. Raymond Kwabena Ewusi, the Director of General of GAF Medical Services and members of a committee set up to investigate the matter.

Dr Ali Saine, a senior obstetrician and gynaecologist who performed the Caesarean Section (CS) on the woman during delivery, was also present to answer some questions.

According to Dr Saine, the hospital expected twins as the scan had shown but was sur­prised to see only one baby.

He blamed the situation on a flawed diagnosis first conducted at the Cerica Diagnostic Services in Accra that suggested the woman, Ms Audrey Agyapong, was carrying double foetuses.

He also admitted that the scans the 37 Military Hospital conducted were also erroneous, insisting that only one baby was delivered.

Major General Andoh said, “We will not shield anybody who tries to bring the military’s name into disrepute.”

“But we’re a human institu­tion; such errors are bound to occur, and would be guided by this going into the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Technical Director and Radiol­ogist of the Cerica Diagnostic Centre, Dr Eric Otu-Danquah, when contacted, was alarmed at the contention of the 37 Military Hospital.

“We are not saying we are infallible, but to the best of our knowledge, we were diligent in our delivery.

“It’s unfortunate they came to that conclusion. I have my contact numbers on the scan report in possession of Ms Agyapong, so they could have called to cross­check if they had any doubts,” he told the Ghanaian Times.

Background

When a couple in Accra walked into the 37 Military Hospital Maternity Unit, they were expecting twins, but they were stunned to be handed a single baby after delivery.

The couple accused the staff of the hospital of allegedly being re­sponsible for the ‘disappearance’ of one of the freshly-born babies supposed to be the other twin, delivered at the hospital.

The delivery was done through a Caesarean section on Thursday, September 8, 2022.

Mother of the supposed twin, 38-year-old trader – Audrey Agyapong, and her 54-year-old husband, Daniel Naawu, suspected foul play.

This was after the couple recalled that ultrasonic checks done 31 weeks into the gestation period at two med­ical facilities, including the 37 Military Hospital, showed that Ms Agyapong was carrying two live foetuses (twins).

Furthermore, a second ultra­sonic scan done at the 37 Military Hospital on July 21, 2022, and signed by Drs M.T Mpetey and R. Asiedu, a Resident and Senior Physician, respectively, confirmed results of the earlier scan with twin A weighing 269g and B weighing 261g.

According to the disturbed mother, she was later told that what she thought was a second baby was rather a placenta.