[ 2012-08-05 ]

Investigating the president’s death
Let me begin this solemn piece with my deepest
condolences to the family of President Mills and
to all Ghanaians on the President’s death.

Since the President’s death, there has been a
concerted effort to move on and not to assign
blame by many. Indeed, the few who have tried to
assign blame have been criticized vigorously. That
desire not to ask hard questions is consistent
with our culture as Africans and Ghanaians.

As a Doctor, I deal with death more than most
people. And I am very familiar with the argument
to “Let things go, after all he/she is already
dead and nothing we do will bring him/her
back.”

President Mills was a teacher both in the
classroom and in life. It is my carefully
considered and deeply held view that we must learn
important lessons from the President’s death.
There will be time for tributes but today, I urge
that we ask some hard questions.

At this point, I wish to apologize sincerely to
all those who may be offended by my concerns and
to beg their forgiveness. Since the President’s
death over a week ago, I have had sleepless
nights. My concerns have only increased as I have
read accounts of his last hours and days.

Joy FM reports the account of Reverend Amoo Darko,
a member of the Council of State and the
President’s friend. Joy reports that
“According to Reverend Amoo Darko, the late
President complained of neck pains on Sunday and
so was unable to participate in church-related
activities that day. He added that on Tuesday
around noon, he received a call that the President
had been rushed to 37 Military hospital on an
emergency.”

The BBC reported that “according to a
Presidential aide, the leader had complained of
pains on Monday evening and his condition had
deteriorated.”

The President’s brother and wife have also
weighed in. It is reported that Mrs. Mills tried
to get the President to resign. If that is true,
it is the most reassuring thing I have learnt in
this unfortunate event. It is heart-warming that
she put her husband’s health ahead of politics.
Reacting to charges and/or rumours of negligence,
the President’s brother, Dr. Cadman Atta Mills
said, “Negligence is a very strong word to use
in this context. I can guarantee you that
everybody around the President did the very best
that they could do and I start especially with
those Doctors who have been with him ever since he
became President.”

From his words and his passion, Doctor Mills’
love for his brother is obvious and his gratitude
for those who cared for him is natural and
understandable. However, while we must trust that
those involved in the President’s care did their
best, we must verify that what was done accords
with the best standards all over the world.
Indeed, one can do harm while acting with the best
of motives. For instance, if a Diabetic were to
become unconscious, either from a very, very
elevated sugar or a very very low sugar level, the
administration of insulin, done with the best of
motives might kill the patient in one instance and
be life-saving in the other instance. In either
instance, the one giving the insulin would have
the same motive—to save the patient’s life.

To set the standard for what we should be striving
for, let me recount an incident. A few weeks
before the President’s death, I was contacted by
the US Embassy in Accra. They had paid a visit to
Cape Coast to plan for a visit by a high ranking
US government official to the city. To plan for
the health of the official and his delegation,
they had asked about Doctors in the city and had
selected me, probably because of my US training.
Before the visit, we discussed possible
contingencies and I contacted officials at the
Central Regional Hospital as well as the National
Ambulance Service and went through a check-list of
what might be needed. In the end, everything went
well and no medical services were needed. But what
I have just recounted is prudent planning at its
best.

We are told that the President was rushed to 37
Military hospital around noon and died at about
2:15 that same day. In law, since he died within a
day of his arrival at the hospital, it makes the
President’s death a CORONER’S CASE that must
be investigated.

To add to the confusion, a number of foreign media
have reported that the President died of cancer.
While this has not been confirmed by the
government, the deceased President’s spiritual
advisor, Prophet T.B. Joshua is reported to have
confirmed that the President had cancer.

This inquiry must be broad and forward-looking. It
must respect the President’s privacy and
sensibilities of his family while being thorough.
And it must guide our conduct in the future if we
should have a President who has health problems.

It needs to address a number of important
questions.
The first is what the President’s state of
health was. Did the President have cancer? If yes,
when did he know it?

Second, when the President was in the US for his
last visit with his Doctors, what did they tell
him and his handlers? Was he accompanied to that
appointment by any of his Ghanaian Doctors?

Third, when the President returned from the US,
was there any contingency plan for emergencies
relating to his health? What was the plan and was
it followed?

Fourth, the President started complaining of
feeling unwell on Sunday, according to Rev. Amoo
Darko.

When was he examined and what did the examiner
find?
When he took sick on Tuesday and he was being
rushed to 37 Military hospital, who was in the
ambulance with him? What equipment was in the
ambulance? Was any treatment administered en-route
to the hospital?

Fifth, was the hospital called before the
President’s arrival?
If yes, what preparation did the hospital make to
receive the ailing President?

Sixth, when did the President leave the Castle and
when did he get to the hospital?

Seventh, when he got to 37 Military hospital, was
the President alive?
Eighth, if he was alive, what treatment did he get
at the hospital? Did he go into cardiac arrest as
has been reported? How was that treated?

Ninth, looking at how his health was managed
throughout his Presidency, are there generalized
shortcomings in how he was managed?

Tenth, what does this show of our healthcare
system and what are the lessons? Do we need
legislation and or guidelines on how we should
care for our Presidents? Should a President be
obligated to disclose the state of his health to
the public or to some public official?

It is important that we ask these questions not
because we suspect anybody of foul-play but
because we need to learn the necessary lessons
from this unfortunate tragedy.

Already, politics appears to be emerging in the
handling of the President’s death. That is
unfortunate. There have been charges that the
President died from vilification as well as
charges that his health was sacrificed to politics
by his handlers. Both charges are unwarranted,
unwise and unhelpful.

This is a time when we must come together—to
comfort the President’s family and to dedicate
ourselves to our nation and its best values.

Let us, even in the midst of our sorrow, move
forward—together.

Source - Arthur Kennedy

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