COVID-19: Bereaved family accuse team of extortion, demand Test result from BAR Hospital

A bereaved family from Odumasi in the Sunyani west Municipality of the Bono Region is accusing the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly Sanitation Department of extorting monies from them after claims that their relative died of COVID-19.

According to the family, their relative has been sick of kidney problem and hypertension for the past four (4) years and they believe it is the cause of her death not COVID-19.

Narrating their ordeal to Ark FM on Ark in the Morning with Kwabena Obeng Akrofi, brother to the deceased, Collins Diawuo popularly known as Agyaa said, her sister has been sick for the past four years and was always indoors, a situation they believe made it difficult for her to contract the deadly virus.

Mr. Diawuo told that her sister showed symptoms of malaria on Wednesday February 3 which the family rushed her to some health facilities and later to the Regional Hospital for treatment.

“We got to the facility at about 7:00am but we were attended to at about 7:00pm”, Mr. Diawuo stressed.

According to him, the next morning when the family visited the facility to know how their relative was faring, they were informed by their sick relative that the doctors says she is COVID—19 positive, a situation which did not go well with the them.

“We didn’t expect doctors at Regional hospital to do that, why should you informed a sick person struggling to die his status of being positive to a deadly virus ” Mr. Diawuo squeezed.

He expressed that the family is still not accepting the fact that their relative died to the COVID-19 virus until they see the test result confirming that.

Mr. Collins Diawuo has been speaking on Ark in the morning on the details to the story.

He disclosed that what deepened their assurance was what happened at the burial of their deceased.He further eplained that the family without any protective garment or gloves were asked to render help to the burial team from the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly when they were finding difficulties in putting the casket in the grave.

This according to him is clear indication that the deceased was not COVID-19 positive because per government and health officials directive, no one must be allowed to touch the dead body or a casket of a COVID-19 positive patient hence their suspicion. They are also wondering why over a week after the demise of their relative, no contact tracing or testing have been conducted on the family or any close relative.

The family is however demanding the test result of their relative that proved she was COVID-19 positive. Also they are demanding explanations from the Sunyani West Municipal Assembly as to why they were asked to pay for their burial cost of their relative if indeed she died of COVID-19, a responsibility government is supposed to take up.

Nana Ama Asiedu, Bono Regional Correspondent