By Amin Kef Sesay
When news of the death of little Dija (a 5 year old girl), who was raped, reached this medium, including allegation that the Choithram Hospital refused to administer treatment to the girl when in need, like all well-meaning Sierra Leoneans, this writer decided to mount an investigation into the incident. Arriving at Choithram Hospital at Hill Station, this writer met officers from the Mountain Police Division (Akon Police Station), who were also there to verify the truth of the allegation and to carry out their own investigations.
During the meeting with the Management of the hospital, Dr. George, the Hospital Manager, showed to all present, a video footage of the arrival and initial examination done on the child by the hospital doctors on duty then.
He then explained that according to the time on the video footage, the child was brought in by a lady on an Okada at about 7.45 pm on the 17th June 2020, and was ushered into the out-patient department of the hospital. According to him, two doctors on duty then examined the child and during their examination, they discovered that the hands of the little girl were stiff; a sign that she has been dead for a while (at least above 30 minutes). Thus the child was brought to the hospital dead.
From the video footage showed, the doctors examined the child three times, using all methods, including the use of a torch to look at the pupils of her eyes to determine whether she was really alive or could respond to treatment.
The result was that the child was already dead when brought to the hospital. A report was then entered in the Hospital’s book of patients who were ‘brought in dead’ to the hospital. The doctors enquired from the lady about the father or male relative of the girl and were told that the relatives were on their way to the hospital.
On their arrival, the doctors then broke the story of the girl’s condition to the male family members. They were then told to call 117 and take the corpse to the Connaught hospital to determine the cause of death, as it is the latter that has the expert to determine the cause of death (Pathologist).
Satisfied with the explanation, corroborated by the video footage, this medium then enquired from other journalists who had earlier visited the hospital and got the same findings from them. Speaking to medical experts as to whether the victim could have been revived if oxygen was administered at the time of arrival based on the condition she was brought in, it was made clear that nothing could have been done when a patient is already dead and parts of her body has already stiffened.
Death, they said, “is the irreversible cessation of all the body functions”. Dr. George of Choithram Memorial Hospital said that it is the duty of all doctors to save life and they will not fail to attend to any patient that arrives at the hospital in such an emergency situation.
However, the concern of many Sierra Leoneans is how this menace of rape could be stopped. Though the law exists where stiffer penalties have been promulgated for rapists, the issue of concern to many rights campaigners is the absence of a forensic lab to determine the identity of the perpetrator.
It could be recalled that several medical experts, including Dr. Owizz Koroma, have requested for the setting up and equipping of a forensic laboratory to deal with such cases, so as to provide indisputable evidence of the identities of perpetrators. It is the absence of this evidence that defence lawyers in such cases capitalise on to gain freedom for their clients. Lawyer Taylor had once said that though a female lawyer may have sympathy for girls and women, yet she has an obligation to her clients to see that the evidence provided by the prosecution proves beyond all reasonable doubts that her clients are guilty and such proof is dependent on evidence provided by a forensic examination.
As things stand, the absence of this integral element for conviction of rapists, beyond all reasonable doubt, will work in the favour of the accused and victims will continue to suffer from such abuses.
Meanwhile, our investigation has further revealed that the alleged perpetrator and accomplice have been arrested and are helping the Police in their investigations.
This incident has further brought outrage from the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations, First Lady, Madam Fatima Bio, His Excellency President Maada Bio and a host of CSOs, Women groups, ordinary citizens and the media all saying Enough is Enough!
