Mr. Benjamin Adu-Asamoah, father of the late Magdalene Adobea Adu-Asamoah, has appealed to the Minister of Education, Hon. Christine Churcher to probe the death of his 16-year-old daughter at the Mfantsiman Girls School, Saltpond.
According to Mr. Benjamin Adu-Asamoah, while the school authorities want him to believe that his daughter Magdalene Adobea Adu-Asamoah died mysteriously, He insists that she was denied proper medical attention due to negligence and the unnecessary strict policies of the school.
Mr. Adu-Asamoah said the school authorities told the family that Adobea collapsed and died mysteriously soon after praying for a colleague who complained of illness while they were revising for the end of year examinations last month.
After praying Adobea, a form two student was said to have gone out to vomit, after which she bent down and wrote a note that "I cannot breathe."
She was pronounced dead on arrival at the Saltpond Hospital and later her body was sent to the Cape Coast Central Hospital mortuary.
Mr. Benjamin Adu-Asamoah said post mortem examination conducted subsequently at the Police Hospital in Accra attributed the death to "acute gastritis".
He noted that this could have been avoided if his daughter had been allowed to go to the hospital when she sought permission to do so.
He said his daughter's personal diary indicated that she had complained of illness since June 23, this year and sought permission to go home but was rather admitted at the school's sports hall, which also serves as an infirmary.
According to accounts of some students of the school, Adobea was kept at the school infirmary until her demise on July 21, 2001.
Adobea's mother, Police Inspector and a nurse at the Police Hospital in Accra, Juliana Asantewa Siaw, said she was surprised when the Headmistress of the school invited her and took her to the Cape Coast Central Hospital mortuary to show her the body of her daughter.
"It was boldly written on the body, "brought in dead" and "I was visibly shaken by the sight of my daughter's corpse."
Attempt to get the school authorities to comment have proved futile since no one answers the telephones.