Administrator at the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Maxwell Larbi
Administrator at the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Maxwell Larbi, has disclosed that a lot of accidents have happened in front of the facility since 2000, with the most recent being the tragic death of a midwife at the hospital who was run over by a speeding vehicle.
In an interview with GhanaWeb’s George Ayisi, he said that despite several attempts to get city authorities to construct speed ramps on the Accra-Koforidua and Adukrom stretches of the road, it has proved futile.
“Since 2020, we have been experiencing a lot of accidents in front of the hospital, both staff, pedestrians, and other clients. We’ve written several letters to the Ghana Highway Authority and the Municipal Assembly. Staff are unwilling to come to work because of this incident.”
He described the attitude of the authorities as lackadaisical.
“These institutions were created to safeguard the public, but it feels as if they don’t care. Just three days ago, we lost one of our staff. Enough is enough,” he lamented.
On Wednesday, October 27, 2024, 27-year-old Ruth Nartey was knocked down by a speeding vehicle in front of the hospital.
She was receiving treatment at the Greater Accra Hospital (Ridge Hospital) in Accra, where she had been transferred to, but sadly succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, October 31, 2024.
Clad in red bands and carrying placards with inscriptions such as ‘How many will you kill?’ ‘Ruth Nartey, Rest In Peace,’ and ‘Who will be the next victim on the TQMH stretch?’, the hospital staff expressed their grief and frustration.
An eyewitness, Sampson Ayisi, said the unfortunate incident happened when the midwife was on her way home.
“She came for morning duty, but she closed at 2pm and decided to wait for a while. So when she was going to the house, it was around 3 o’clock pm. What we observed was that the driver was sleeping. He did not have control of the steer.
So, the car was just going; the person didn’t know the car was coming to her. Before she realised it, the car just ran into her, pushed her, and, at the same time, came to hit a light pole over here. The light pole then blasted,” he said.
Residents and workers have stressed the need for urgent measures to improve road safety around the hospital to prevent further tragedies.
JKB/ ADG
Watch the protest of the staff below:
