A 19-year-old level 200 law student at the University of Ghana(UG) has been reported dead from an induced injection at the Ewim Polyclinic in Cape Coast.
Nana Obeng Owusu Junior reportedly died at about 7 p.m. on Monday, October 16, after a nurse injected him with an unidentified medication.
The mother of the deceased, Mrs Nelly Mills, recounting the ordeal, said that she took Nana, an asthmatic patient, to the facility for a nebuliser (a small machine that turns liquid medicine into a mist that can be easily inhaled).
However, they went to the pharmacy unit on reaching the facility but were directed to the emergency ward, which they obliged.
“At the emergency unit, there was a misunderstanding between the deceased and Michael (nurse), and that was when the nurse, who was irritated by their visit, yelled at them, questioning, “What do you want, what do you want?”.
According to the mother, “Michael, in a seemingly unhappy voice, as if he was tired of caring for patients, shouted at us, something my son did not take kindly”.
Mrs Mills said she later left the emergency unit to buy a medication approved by Michael, leaving his son in the care of a younger sibling who had accompanied them.
Mrs Mills said immediately after she left, Michael injected her son with an unknown medication without checking his vitals, leading to his death in less than two minutes and fled the scene.
According to Mrs Mills, Nana was playing with his brother but suddenly fell asleep after the injection.
However, the younger brother felt he was asleep until she returned to realise that his son was dead.
“I shouted for help repeatedly and called for help, but my son was long dead. Within two minutes after stepping out to buy his medication, my son died, and Michael confirmed he injected him.
“We only needed a nebuliser and not an injection, which was written for me to buy, so why the injection? Besides, my son was not seriously ill but suffering from his routine asthma attack,” Mrs Mills said.
She added that the facility has refused to release her son’s body to her.
“They swiftly arranged for a hearse and took the body to the University of Cape Coast morgue and embalmed the body without the concern of any family member.
She alleged, “We followed up to the morgue immediately, only to find out my son had been embalmed without my concern.
She added, “The arrangement made by the hospital makes the death of my son a subject of investigation, and we will not relent to get to the bottom of this matter.
“I am appealing to the Ghana Health Service and the security agencies to thoroughly investigate the cause of death and ensure that justice was served to the bereaved family,” Mrs Mills told the Ghana News Agency.