Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, Upper West Regional Minister, has inaugurated a committee to investigate an alleged negligence on the part of the staff of the Upper West Regional Hospital, which led to the death of a two-year old boy.
The committee was also "to investigate the Hospital's readiness to deal with snake bites and the availability of anti-snake serum".
The setting up of the committee became necessary due to the death of a two-year-old boy who was rushed to the hospital on November 9, 2019, after been bitten by a snake but was allegedly denied medical treatment due to the closure of the folder room.
Alhaji Issaka Hassan, a retired nurse, chairs the five-member committee which were also tasked to investigate the readiness of the Out-Patient's Department (OPD) of the hospital to admit and care for a large number of patients that visited the facility on daily basis.
Other Terms of Reference (TOR) of the committee were; to recommend strategies and practices to make the Emergency Unit of the hospital more effective, make recommendations on how to check the bad reputation of the facility as well as the health sector in the region and to recommend sanctions against persons found responsible for the death of the two-year old boy.
The Regional Minister urged the committee not to compromise in its activities, saying the success of the committee would help improve the health sector in the Region.
Touching on the New Upper West Regional Hospital, Dr Bin Salih explained that the facility had been licensed by the National Health Regulatory Authority, and seed capital for its operation secured from the government.
He added that six doctors and 214 nurses had been posted to the facility, and gave the assurance that it would be fully operational by December 1, 2019.
Alhaji Issaka Hassan, on his part, assured the Minister and the public that the committee would come out with positive results to justify the confidence reposed in it.
He said members of the committee were aware of their crucial role in transforming the health sector in the Region and to create a positive image of the Regional hospital in particular.
Other members of the committee were: Mr Abdul-Gafur Yakubu, a journalist, Mr Richman Ayitey, of the Ghana Police Service, Mr Frank Asiedu Nimakoh, a lawyer and Mr Alfred Anzagirah, a nurse.
The committee is expected to submit a report to the Regional Minister.