Police in the Northern Region have mounted a search for five young men who attacked the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Hospital in Tamale on Monday night, authorities said. The attackers are all believed to be residents of Changli.
The attack which occurred at 9:30 p.m., left hospital staff and patients traumatized and caused extensive damage to wards and units, including patients’ water drips and blood sacks, reports said. Hospital authorities were compelled to close down the facility and to ask the 127 patients to seek medical-care elsewhere.
The Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Police service, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh told Zaa news the police have intensified their search for the perpetrators and if they are caught will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
ASP Tetteh said initial investigations by both the police and the hospital indicate that there are no relations between a patient and the man who organized the attack as previously reported, adding that the young men went to the facility with criminal intentions because their claims that they were looking for one of their brothers involved in an accident could not be verified.
The attackers, according to the police, went to the hospital under the pretext of enquiring about their patient who was on admission. While making the enquiry in a ward, one of the attackers reportedly started making a phone-call on top of his voice but nurses on duty advised him to lower his voice or go outside. But this did not go down well with the guy who went and mobilised his colleagues to come and attack the hospital.
Hospital security staff were not spared either by the attackers, officials said. SDA is one of the missionary hospitals which has gained the public trust in terms of healthcare delivery in Tamale and beyond. It was one of the dedicated private hospitals that provided services to the people during the Ghana Medical Association’s strike in Ghana three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, the Tamale DAPKEMA, Naa Mohammed Alhassan Dawuni has warned all youth in Tamale to stay away from violent activities.
He added that anyone arrested in connection with this act should not come to him for mercy because he won’t intervene on their behalf. He gave the warning after visiting the hospital to assess the extent of damage.