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5 Health Workers suspended in Harper hospital patients’ peanut butter theft case

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By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com

The Health Ministry has suspended the five health workers, who were recently arrested and sent to court in connection with the alleged theft of 80 cartons of malnourished patients’ peanut butter at the government-run J.J. Dossen referral hospital in Maryland County.

Harper is situated 250 miles southeast of Liberia’s capital, Monrovia.

The directive was given by the Chief Medical Officer of Liberia Dr. Francis Keteh, Sr.

Speaking to www.newspublictrust.com via mobile phone recently, Dr. Kateh said the Health Ministry took the decision so that the five health workers can tell the Ministry how the peanut butter intended for the patients got out of the hospital compound.

Dr. Keteh said if they fail to do so, whatsoever decision that will fall in the Health Ministry’s purview will be made, whilst legal team on the other hand, are going to take the actions that are necessary.

The Chief Medical Officer of Liberia narrated the over eighty cartoons of malnourished patient’s peanut that got missing, some was found in the homes of alleged individuals, while others were discovered in the  bushes and thirty cartons were also discovered in the ambulance.

According to Dr. Keteh, authorities of his Ministry cannot continue to see such thing going on in the health sector. He stressed that they have resolved to take the necessary steps against those allegedly involved in the theft.

Dr. Keteh disclosed that if the court was going to make a decision in the case, the Ministry was not going to hesitate but to immediately dismiss them. But he said the court went ahead dismissing the case on ground that it has no legal basis.

However, Dr. Keteh said that with all the evidence seen by the court, the court threw out the case, “but how be it that is the law and they cannot fight it but to take their own decision as a Ministry against them.”

At the same time, the Chief Medical Officer of Liberia has said the Ministry is obligated to its partners in continuously engaging them, so as to help vulnerable and malnourished children and patients.

Dr. Kateh said while on indefinite suspension, the five health workers are to turn over all government properties in their possession and the Ministry’s legal team will be going to Maryland County to further investigate the current status of the case.

Prior to the mandate given by the Circuit Judge of Maryland County to dismiss the case on grounds that the Magistrate should have issued search and seizure warrant on May 14, 2019 which was on a holiday, the magistrate of the Harper City Court, Dweh T. Morgan was summoned by the Judge based on an appeal taken by the defend lawyers representing the five health workers.

Lawyers representing the five health workers are public defenders–Joshua G.K. Odoi and Aldophus Taylor.

Lawyers representing the health workers filed a motion that the judge was wrong to issued search and seizure warrant on a holiday when court was closed.

The defense lawyers argued in their motion that the defendants were not acquainted with their constitutional rights, but statements were rather taken from them at the police station.

Furthermore, the defend lawyers said in their motion that warrants have houses to search, but there were three houses on the warrant to search, adding that the arrest of the five health workers by police on the holiday was illegal.

The legal counsels for the defense also argued that search and seizure warrant should have been issued a day after the holiday (May 14, 2019), National Unification Day. It was based on the denial of their motion that they took an appeal to the Circuit Court, while the Judge was summoned and the matter was heard on Thursday, 30 May, 2019.

Meanwhile, after the summon of the Magistrate Judge Morgan, he was mandated by the circuit judge to dismiss the case something that has no alternative to say no but rather he did what he mandated to do by dismissing the case.

The malnourished patients’ peanut was allegedly taken from the J.J. Dossen Hospital compound and allegedly taken to the defendants’ homes.

However, Court authority an interview this Reporter by via mobile phone said the court was right due to the urgency and expeditious nature of the case.

Court authority said if the circuit turn the ruling of the judge, the judge will certainly take an appeal to the Supreme Court.

On May 14, 2019, five health workers at the J.J. Dossen referral were arrested and sent to court for allegedly stealing thirty-four cartoons of malnourished peanut butter.

The five health workers are Anthony Elliott member of the county health team, Richard G. Daivs ambulance driver, P. Yuah Johnson Chief security, George Dokie County pharmacy and Audrey M. Cole nutrition supervisor.

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