Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital Holds Vigil For Deceased Staff

The staff of Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital held a vigil on November 6 in honour of their departed colleague, Ruth Mamle Nartey, whose life was taken by accident on October 30. The midwife was hit by a speeding vehicle meters from the entrance of the hospital.

In a somber ceremony, staff wearing red armbands gathered to light candles and pay tribute to the deceased. Clinical and non-clinical staff joined hospital management, first marching from the hospital to the Mampong roundabout and ending it at the scene of the accident. They held prayer sessions in her memory and planted a tree in memory of her dedication and contribution to the hospital.

She had always been an avid advocate of women's health and recently proposed to the Municipal Assembly the establishment of a breast cancer unit within the hospital to help improve health care within the Akuapem North community.

The tragic death sparked immediate reactions from the hospital staff, who are now calling for an immediate response by the government. Eastern Regional Minister Seth Kwame Acheampong assured that speed ramps and pedestrian overpass construction will be hastened to make the road in front of the hospital safer. Even with these measures, the staff has declared that they would suspend hospital operations until those demands have been met.

Joseph Aboagye, the systems administrator and leader of the staff movement, indicates that they want "tablet ramps" that impede the traffic and not some mediocrely installed ramps. In similar fashion, Isaac Wugyiti, the Eastern Regional Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, issued a warning again of a possible strike in case the safety measures are delayed.