Awudome Youth protest death of colleague

The Concerned Youth Group of Awudome Estates have held a peaceful demonstration against the management of Kaneshie Polyclinic for what they described as gross negligence which led to the death of a member of their group.
Amidst brass band music, the group besieged the premises of the polyclinic wielding placards with inscriptions some of which read “Patients need love not condemnation, “Nurses cannot give first aid” and “Polyclinic is a liability to the country”.
According to the spokesperson of the group, Mr Isaac Adjei, the incident occurred on February 8, 2009 when Eric Simpson, 34, a member of the group, was rushed to the clinic after he complained of difficulty in breathing.
Upon arrival, the spokesperson said, a nurse told them the doctor on duty had left and therefore she could not administer first aid to Simpson without a doctor’s instruction.
“She, however, advised us to take him to the Cocoa Clinic. When we got there we were told there was no bed, so we should take him to Holy Trinity. He died on our way to Holy Trinity,” he recounted.
The group, among other things in a petition, have called on the leadership of the clinic to ensure that quality healthcare service is delivered to residents of the area, since it was the right of the people to enjoy quality health care.
The group claimed in the petition that doctors were not available at the clinic at all times although the clinic administration advertised a 24-hour service to the public.
They also claimed that “nurses at the polyclinic are unwilling to provide first aid to patients or are not properly trained to administer first aid to patients”.
“Nurses on duty do not have empathy for the sick and suffering patients and in most cases patient would have to wait for long hours before been attended to. Even during emergencies, nurses are most at times rude to the patients or their families,” they added.
The Deputy Director of Nursing Services at the polyclinic, Ms Alexandraina Addo, who received the petition on behalf of management, expressed her sympathy to the bereaved family and called on the youth to remain calm as management was investigating the incident.
She told the Daily Graphic that disciplinary measures would be taken against the nurse concern if she was found guilty.
“We have started sensitising and training the nurses on what to do when such incidents occur again,” she said.
Ms Addo, however, noted that the clinic lacked permanent doctors and called on the appropriate authorities to come to the aid of the clinic.