Parliament takes serious view of Suweiba’s missing baby issue; Speaker demands report

• Posted on June 18, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho has asked the Ministry of Health to provide the House with the report on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) missing babies.

“This is a serious issue and all of us should be concerned…If our mothers, wives and sisters go to hospitals to deliver and cannot find their babies after delivery, then that is a serious matter. This House takes a serious view of this issue.

“I direct that the Ministry of Health (MOH) provide this House with the findings on the matter for us to act appropriately,” Mr Adjaho said in response to a request by the Majority Whip and Member of Parliament for Asawase, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka.

The MP for Asawase urged the Speaker to demand a comprehensive report from the ministry based on the investigations carried out by three bodies on the issue.

The Ministry of Health has announced that it had received the final report on investigations into the babies that went missing at Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, KATH in 2014.

Suweiba Mumin, who went to the hospital to deliver, lost the baby under very bizarre circumstances.

As later events unfolded, the bodies of four other babies allegedly stillborn could not be found, leading to public outcry and conspiracy theories, prompting police investigations and necessitating the MOH to constitute a body to look into the matter.

“Mr Speaker, we should demand the report from the Ministry for further scrutiny of the recommendations”, Alhaji Muntaka said.

The Legislator, who is also the Chairman of the House’s Health Committee, was not intrigued by the fact that the supposedly comprehensive report submitted to the MOH, as announced by the Ministry over the weekend did not address the vexed issue of Suweiba’s missing baby.

“We have to act appropriately because of the sensitive nature of this matter”, Muntaka said.

Thus Mr Adjaho has requested the Majority Leader to ensure that the report is made available to the House as soon as practicable and referred to the Health Committee for deliberation on the recommendations.

Source: GNA