On Saturday July 4, 2009, two men suspected to be armed robbers brutalized a 59-year-old Norwegian lady-teacher, June Astrid Utgard, who came to Ghana to finalize marriage deals with a 30-year-old Ghanaian, Gabriel Asrifi, at Osu in Accra.
The lady is however bent on flying back to her home country for medical treatment after doctors at both the 37 Military Hospital and Korle-Bu refused to treat her with trivial excuses.
A senior officer at the State Protocol, Enoch Osei-Mensah, who said he offered the lady in the company of her fiancé a lift to the named medical facilities, said when they first got to the La Polyclinic, personnel there referred them to the 37 Military Hospital due to the severity of the wounds.
However, when they got there, the doctor on duty told them that the theatre was not operational.
All attempts to convince the doctor to give them an ambulance to convey the injured to Korle-Bu failed.
He could not drive them to Korle-Bu with his blood-soaked vehicle so they had to waste hours looking for a vehicle to convey them to Korle-Bu.
He said at Korle-Bu, Astrid was blatantly refused a surgical operation with the reason that there was no bed for her.
She was then asked to go home after she was given first aid.
Astrid, who seemed not satisfied with the treatment given her at the hospital, insisted not to seek further medical attention in Ghana but would rather go back home for proper treatment.
According to the Osu District Police Commander, ASP Peter Yembilla, reports indicated that at about 6:30pm on Saturday July 4, Astrid was in the company of her fiancé, Asrifi, and a friend waiting probably for a cabbie around the Boys’ School area, a suburb of Osu, when two men on a motorbike stopped abruptly by them.
One of the supposed robbers asked her to surrender her handbag while the other was waiting on the ignited motorbike.
Astrid refused to obey the order and engaged the robber in a struggle over the handbag.
This act apparently angered the robbers who were thought to be trailing a vehicle.
The robber then pulled a sharp knife, slashed deep into both hands of Astrid, snatched the bag and quickly jumped onto the bike.
The Norwegian lady was first rushed to the La Polyclinic where she was referred to the 37 Military Hospital, and subsequently to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where she was given first aid.
Items such as her Norwegian passport, marriage guarantee forms, two mobile phones, a digital camera, GH¢200 among other personal effects were in the bag.
So far, no arrest has been made but the police said the case is under investigation.
Meanwhile, Astrid is said to be processing her documents to fly back home to seek medical attention.
By Rocklyn Antonio
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