Lawyer for Dr. Justina Mensah, the Director of Blood Service, who is accused of defaming her former driver, has told the Accra High Court that she did not defame Edward Kofi Ghunney, the plaintiff.
Mr. Ghunney sued his former boss for alleging that he tested HIV positive, and is demanding GH¢200,000 compensation and a letter of apology with copies pasted on the notice board of the service.
But the defendant’s counsel, Cecil Adasi suggested to the plaintiff at cross-examination on Monday that the plaintiff’s claims of defamation were based on assumptions.
He said Dr. Mensah counselled the plaintiff before she gave him the details of his test result; it is the case of the defendant’s counsel that his client complied with the standard procedure of the Blood Service with regard to blood donation.
On claims by the plaintiff that he was traumatised, scornfully looked upon and treated like a plague infested person by his working colleagues, Mr. Adasi said plaintiff was not diagnosed of trauma by a medical officer after the alleged incident.
Mr. Adasi told the court that it was untrue that plaintiff requested for reposting to another department as a result of the stigma he suffered.
The plaintiff, who claimed to be the official driver of the defendant, and now with the Disease Surveillance Department, said the wrongful imputation has made him a subject of public ridicule and contempt as he continues to suffer sigtimatisation from relatives and friends.
In his affidavit, Mr. Ghunney said, among other things, that he had donated blood to the Service for more than 24 times, but after his last donation on July 25, 2014, Dr. Ansah invited him on December 29, 2014 and told him that he was HIV positive.
The plaintiff averred that he denied the allegation and the defendant challenged him to take another test at the Reference Laboratory at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital which he obliged, and the test result showed the plaintiff was HIV negative.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
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