Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu
The Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, wants the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu to appear before the House to explain the dire situation at the Kumasi Academy Senior High School following the reported cases of “strange deaths” of about 6 students of the school.
Three first-year students of Kumasi Academy Senior High School (KUMACA) have died Tuesday morning bringing the death toll recorded in the school to six within a week.
The deceased whose names are yet to be made public were suffering from what is believed to be Cerebrospinal meningitis.
A first-year-student Fodjour Furgerson Livingstone died yesterday (Monday). Earlier, two students who were rushed to the hospital after they complained of “fever-like conditions” at the school’s clinic died last Friday.
25 more students are on admission at the KNUST hospital with authorities unable to determine the cause of deaths.
Blood samples from the deceased have, however, been sent to the Noguchi Memorial Research Institute to ascertain the cause of the deaths.
Speaking on the floor of parliament Tuesday, December, 5, 2017, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak said Parliament’s invitation to the Minister over the matter has become necessary considering the rumors making rounds that the happenings in KUMACA located in the Asawase constituency had to do with occultism among many others.
“Mr. Speaker we are worried, the people of Asawase are worried because the school is located in there, the school population are really scared.
I want to plead that the Minister of Health be given an opportunity to come to this House to give us official position, what is happening, what measures they are taking to nip this in the bud, and what measures are put in place to prevent this thing from recurring.
Because Mr. Speaker my fear is that, if we are not careful that school will be empty after all the infrastructure that it has; because you hear people in Kumasi say it is occultism, it’s spiritual, it’s some demons that are in the school; all manner of things are being said. But I think this is something that has to be dealt with scientifically.
So Mr. Speaker, it’s my hope and prayer that the Minister of Health will be given an opportunity to come to the House to brief this House on the happenings since March…”
Meanwhile, some parents clashed with security personnel and authorities at the school after the parents stormed the school to forcefully take their children home.
The agitated parents claim the school must release their wards after three more students were reported dead from meningitis Tuesday morning.