EDWARD KOFI GHUNNEY vs. JUSTINA ANSAH AND ATTORNEY-GENERAL [2019]DLHC6901

Date	2019-07-22
Suit No.	SUIT NO: GJ696/2017
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC6901

HIS LORDSHIP ERIC KYEI BAFFOUR ESQ. JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT

[2019]DLHC6901
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >EDWARD
KOFI GHUNNEY<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>JUSTINA
ANSAH AND ATTORNEY-GENERAL<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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SUIT
NO: GJ696/2017&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 22ND JULY, 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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HIS LORDSHIP, ERIC KYEI BAFFOUR, ESQ., JUSTICE OF THE
HIGH COURT<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:
8.0pt;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;mso-layout-grid-align:auto;punctuation-wrap:hanging;
text-autospace:ideograph-numeric ideograph-other">Notwithstanding
much education that has gone into reversing peoples attitude towards persons
living with the HIV virus, much results cannot be said to have been achieved as
evidenced by persistent stigmatization in society. The prejudice that attends
with the labelling of a person as HIV positive with its resultant
discrimination and being avoided as if a mere handshake alone portends profound
disaster for one like the contraction of an ebola
virus makes any accusation against a person as an HIV positive person not a
light one to be ignored. Sensing the debilitating smoke of rumours of being HIV
positive at the National Blood Service Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where he
worked as a driver and claiming the source of that rumours to be that of 1st
Defendant, the very head of the National Blood Service, the institution
responsible for replenishing the stock of blood for use, Plaintiff conceived
and birthed the writ on the 11th of May, 2017, which was later
amended seeking the following reliefs:<o:p></o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="1" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Compensation in the sum of Gh¢200,000 for the
 anxiety, trauma, ridicule, mental breakdown and emotional distress
 Plaintiff suffered at the instance of the Defendants.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="2" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">An apology to the Plaintiff with copies pasted at
 the Notice Board of national Blood Service and placed on his personal file
 and the National Blood Service.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="3" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Damages for breach of duty of care<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="4" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Cost on full indemnity basis including legal cost.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><ol style="margin-top:0in" start="5" type="1">
 <li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:115%;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1">Any other relief(s) the court may deem fit.<o:p></o:p></li>
</ol><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>Plaintiff who claim to be a driver who personally
drives 1st Defendant donated blood on the 25th of July,
2014 in a blood donation exercise but was subsequently invited by 1st
Defendant who informed him that he was HIV positive and challenged him to
undertake a second test if Plaintiff doubted the test results of the staff
donation exercise. Having accepted the challenge thrown to him to bite the
bullet of undertaking another test which was performed, he avers that 1st
Defendant called to tell him that she has been told of the results of the
second and that she [1st Defendant] doubt the negative results from
the Reference Laboratory and was told that he had been relieved of his work as
the personal driver of 1st Defendant. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>That 1st Defendant again invited him to
undertake yet another test at the Central Laboratory which he submitted himself
the results again showed non reactive for HIV. That for 1st Defendant
having told him that he was HIV positive and which she broadcast to everyone at
the National Blood Service, which was not true, 1st Defendant had
failed to exercise due care expected of her as the Director of the National Blood
Service to properly counsel Plaintiff as a medical doctor but not to rudely and
unprofessionally tell him that w</main>