The deadly injection that killed three patients were administered illegally says Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu Sarkodie.

According to Dr. Sarkodie, the said health practitioner, James Yeboah, who allegedly killed three patients by administering a deadly injection to them at the New Senchi Health Centre in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region, operated illegally.

Dr. Sarkodie told Accra-based Citi FM that: “Indeed, he [James Yeboah] has been stopped from practising as he was not authorised by the Ghana Health Service at the national, regional or district [level] to conduct this activity in the facility. So he has been stopped from practising in that facility to make sure that he doesn’t put other people at risk.”

After the incident, Mr Yeboah was arrested along with the manager of the health post, Simon Takeramah, who was later granted bail.

A probe by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) points to contamination of the medication which caused injection site abscess, skin necrosis and ulcers leading to the deaths of a 31-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman and a 78-year-old man.


“Preliminary investigations revealed that these reactions may be due to contaminated 0.9% Normal Saline, the solution which was used to reconstitute (mix) the Benzathine Penicillin Powder for Injection.

“The 0.9% Normal Saline Solution was reported to have been opened and used repeatedly for several days which might have resulted in the contamination,” a statement from the FDA explained.