MDS-Lancet Laboratories Ghana Limited, the leading private medical laboratory in Ghana and an ISO accreditation holder which provides comprehensive diagnostic services to patients, hospitals/clinics, corporate insurance, industrial and occupational health establishments could gradually be losing its credibility with emerging cases of clients’ disaffection at the services the Laboratory renders.
GO News has established that the negligence on the part of MDS-Lancet Laboratories nearly caused the life of a patient who was referred to the facility to undergo a Pathological Analysis of Bladder Mass/Growth/Tumor.
The victim, Beauty Ayeduvor, based in Sunyani was taken ill in February 2018 and was referred from SOS international to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
This paper had established that after rigorous examinations, it became necessary for her to undergo the said Analysis to ascertain if the Tumor is cancerous or not.
Checks from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital revealed that a specimen was extracted through urethral resection of the bladder mass to be taken to the Lab.
The specimen was taken to MDS-Lancet Laboratories for the said Analysis bases on which the Hospital could do surgery to correct the anomaly.
Meanwhile, the Laboratory failed to produce the Analysis result after a turn over period of two (2) weeks.
The family of the patient made several efforts to get the Result to allow doctors work on the patient but to no avail.
Investigations further revealed that after six weeks of waiting in vain, the condition of the patient, Beauty Ayeduvor became worse as she suffered severe tumor rapture at work when she went out from her office to pass urine and she couldn’t push it back again. This brought serious discomfort to her.
Speaking to Mr. Agyemang Francis, husband to the patient, Beauty Ayeduvor, the psychological trauma suffered by the patient during the time of rapture was unbearable.
According to him, her wife was rushed to SOS international hospital in Kenyasi but had to be referred to Kumasi.
“Even at Kumasi, the doctors said they can’t work on her so we must transport her to Accra to see the Specialist who was attending to her. An ambulance was subsequently arranged to transport my wife from Kumasi to Accra, Korle-bu. And all this while, we still couldn’t get the Analysis result from MDS-Lancet and it became difficult for the doctors to work on her because they were expecting the result to determine how they can go about the treatment. So, the doctors had to go ahead with the surgery and God willing, she is relieved,” he narrated.
According to Agyemang Francis, he later went to MDS-Lancet Laboratory only to be told they could not trace the wife’s specimen which was brought to the facility for analysis.
He revealed that he wrote to the Laboratory, through his lawyers, Ansah Ankomah Esq. of the Enso Nyame Ye Chambers demanding reasons why the facility was unable to provide the patient’s report even at the crucial time when it was needed to help save the life of the patient.
“I suspected a deliberate attempt to cause the life of my wife, because I could not understand why a specimen of a patient can get missing in a whole facility such as theirs. So I spoke to my lawyers and we filled the case in Court,” he said.
Meanwhile, a letter in possession of this Paper from the lawyers of MDS-Lancet Laboratory, to the victim’s lawyers suggested that the former was pleading for an out of Court settlement of the matter.
The letter which was written by Archer, Archer and Co. Legal representatives of MDS-LANCET, on April 5, 2018 under the heading; RE: DEMAND FOR THE LABORATORY REPORT OF BEAUTY AYEDUVOR AND EXPLANATION FOR THE DELAY OF THE REPORT,’ states that: “We acknowledge receipt of your letter under reference which has been forwarded to us by our client MDS-Lancet Laboratories. Management of MDS-Lancet Laboratories would like to apologize for the non-delivery of your client’s report. The Report is unavailable. Our client is willing to have an amicable settlement of this matter out of Court and we hope we could count on your support in this regard. Kindly bring this to the attention of your Client as we discuss a settlement of the issue.”
Francis Agyemang however stressed that the response from the Defendant, to aid the process of bringing the matter out of Court as they themselves demanded, was not forth coming after several correspondence to their counsel.
According to him, the delays in the process on the part of the Defendant in the case is dragging the wheel of justice as far as this case is concerned.
When MDS-Lancet Laboratories was contacted they confirmed the said incidence but declined to comment further with the explanation that the matter is sub-juries (in Court).
The victim is however appealing to the Chief Justice to look into the matter to ensure a speedy but smooth adjudication of the case for justice to prevail.
By: PROSPER AGBENYEGA