Following a lengthy legal battle spanning seven years and six months, the family of 15-year-old Kervin Kofi Moses has finally received justice.
The High Court has ruled that Achimota School was negligent in its duty towards the residential General Arts student, ultimately leading to his untimely death.
Kervin Kofi Moses, a student at Achimota Senior High School, tragically passed away on December 4, 2016, following what the court determined was a failure by the school to provide him with adequate medical care.
According to court documents, Moses had complained of feeling unwell in November 2016, suspecting malaria. Despite seeking medical attention at the school clinic and expressing his symptoms, he was reportedly given ibuprofen and told he did not have malaria.
His mother, Sonia Ofori-Ansong, intervened, urging the school’s Housemaster, Dominic Danso, to allow her son to be taken to the hospital for further evaluation. However, her plea was allegedly denied, with the Housemaster assuring her that Moses was improving.
It was not until December 2, 2016, that Ms. Ofori-Ansong received a distressing call from Mr. Danso, informing her that Moses had been rushed to the Achimota Government Hospital. Subsequently, he was transferred to the 37 Military Hospital, where he sadly succumbed to his condition the following day.
In response to this tragic sequence of events, Ms. Ofori-Ansong, alongside Gerald Nyarko, initiated legal proceedings against Achimota School, arguing that the institution had breached its duty of care towards Moses.
They sought several reliefs from the court, including financial compensation for medical and funeral expenses, loss of dependency/prospective income, and damages for the pain and psychological trauma caused.
Justice Comfort Kwasiwor Tasiame, in a judgement dated May 28, 2024, criticized the negligence displayed by Dominic Danso, stating that his failure to take immediate action and show remorse during the legal proceedings was egregious.
The court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, awarding them GH¢400,000 as general damages, GH¢200,000 for loss of expectation of life, and an additional GH¢10,000 in costs.