The Medical and Dental Council begins a hearing on racketeering against 37 doctors at the Military Hospital

The Medical and Dental Council (MDC) has finally started hearings in the case filed against a doctor at the 37 Military Hospital on charges of extortion and medical negligence, four years after a complaint was filed.

Recently promoted doctor, Brigadier General GAO Appiah, was responsible for handling the case of Solomon Asare-Kumah, who was admitted on August 22, 2019 and passed away on October 21 of the same year.

He is accused by the family of illegally charging the family GHS40,000 for a procedure for which they eventually paid the hospital again, contrary to assurances that the payment was for the patient’s entire treatment, including his surgical procedure.

The hearing followed consideration by the MDC’s Criminal Affairs Committee on August 28, 2020, which “unanimously agreed that the matter should be referred to the Disciplinary Committee for a full investigation,” according to an MDC document.

Following this complaint, the MDC referred the complaint to the army headquarters, which established a Military Board of Inquiry into the matter in 2020.

Since the conclusion of the investigation in 2020, the Military Authority has refused to provide the family with a copy of its findings or recommendations, prompting the family to seek redress before a High Court, which ruled that the report be released to the family.

The court, presided over by His Lordship Judge Charles Edward Baiden, in its June 2023 ruling on a discovery application filed, ordered that Solomon’s medical records at the 37 Military Hospital and the Board of Inquiry report be released to the family. .

“The report or official report of the committee of inquiry regarding the admission, treatment and death of the deceased, in whatever way described by the 1^st to 3^rd Defendants, together with the medical records of the deceased, will be provided to the plaintiff/applicant within ten (10) days of this date.

In accordance, the Office of the Attorney General submitted Solomon’s medical records but appealed the release of the BOI report, which it claimed would be detrimental to national security.

The defendants in the case are the Attorney General, the Chief of Defense Staff, the 37 Military Hospital and Colonel (Dr.) GAO Appiah.

Background of the case

Solomon Asare-Kumah came to Ghana from Britain in 2019 to visit his ailing father, but became ill himself.

After some examination, the doctors said he had a benign brain tumor that needed to be removed urgently.

He was referred from a hospital in Sakumono to the 37 Military Hospital

According to the family, a neurosurgeon from the 37 Military Hospital, whose name only was Colonel Appiah, told them that the operation was necessary at the time.

The family said the deceased’s supposed emergency surgery had been postponed several times with various excuses, including once when the neurosurgeon said he was not feeling well and could not perform the operation.

The family is asking the court for damages in excess of GHS2 million from the 37 Military Hospital.

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