Pregnant Woman Dies Over “GH¢500 Motivation Fee”

In Ghana today, only the lucky ones get admitted when brought to a health centre or hospital. It may not matter what condition the patient finds him or herself in―they may arrive bleeding, in labour or even with an erupted cortex. Mostly there is little help available and patients are left to die.

This is the sour story of a 30-year old pregnant woman who died at the Suntreso Government Hospital in Kumasi on Thursday, July 5, 2018.

According to Pastor Solomon Lamo Latiff, husband of the deceased, the doctor in charge delayed a caesarean section because he (Solomon) was reluctant to readily pay a “doctor motivation fee” of GH¢500.

Pastor Latiff in an interview with Class FM said his wife was delayed medical attention for about three hours after they reported to the facility.

“While I was there, the doctor told me how much I’m going to pay for somethings that the health insurance will not cover…so I said ok. Then he asked how much I was going to give to them. In fact, I understood what he said but I was not so much convinced that that’s what he actually meant,” he narrated.

Pastor Latif said he asked what the money was for and the doctor responded, “motivation,” which the doctor said was going for GH¢500.

The bereaved husband, said though not convinced, he had agreed to pay the fee but for about three hours, nothing had been done about his wife’s emergency.

“It was after I went to the doctor’s office to call him then he came and immediately he entered the theatre, he put my wife in there. He called me and marched me into the theatre and I went there and saw the lifeless body of my wife,” Pastor Latif recalled sadly.

He said, “This was my first child. We’ve been married for just one year and four months. My wife is the only child of her parents. Just look at that.”

He has therefore threatened to sue the facility for medical negligence.

“I’m not going to end it here. I have decided that after everything is done, I’ll take the matter up. I intend to sue the doctor,” Pastor Latif said.

By: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]