I’ve always argued that money should not be the motivation for anyone to work in the Health Sector—it should be the person’s genuine desire to help others. And such a person MUST be full of compassion and empathy…

A Ghanaian healthcare assistant- Akousa Sakyiwaa who seems to lack the above have found herself in jail, after ill treating her patients.

According to MailOnline;

Two healthcare assistants who abused elderly female patients on the geriatric ward of a hospital were jailed today.

Akousa Sakyiwaa, 38, was convicted of four counts of ill-treatment and neglect of patients on Beech Ward at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, east London, between February and April last year.

Sharmila Gunda, 36, was found guilty of one count of neglect and one count of assault by beating an elderly patient in her care following a trial in June.

Sakyiwaa, of Leytonstone, was jailed for 12 months while Gunda, of Ilford, was given a five month prison sentence at London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Fellow healthcare assistant Annette Jackson, 33, of Hounslow, west London, was given a two month suspended sentence and ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work after being convicted of one count of ill-treatment or neglect.

Delivering his sentence, Judge Timothy Lamb QC said the women’s actions had ‘damaged patient trust’ in the NHS.

Addressing the defendants, Mr Lamb said: ‘In short, by your offending you have let down your colleagues, you have damaged patient trust and you have undermined the quality of care for the elderly and vulnerable at Whipps Cross.’

The three women were charged following a Metropolitan Police inquiry into the hospital after a student nurse acted as a whistleblower.

The women would physically and verbally abuse patients, often telling them to shut up, as well as handling them in a rough and aggressive manner, police said.

Sakyiwaa, of Leytonstone, Jackson, of Hounslow; and Gunda, of Ilford, were responsible for looking after elderly female patients with various physical and mental conditions including dementia.

June Evans, who is wheelchair bound, was the only patient still alive or well enough to come to court to give evidence against them. The other patients are too ill or suffer from dementia.

In a statement read to the court, she said: ‘Since the incident that took place last year I have completely lost trust in the health service.

‘I lost faith in my GP, the ambulance service and hospitals in general.’

Ms Evans discharged herself from the hospital following the assault and was in a state of distress when she had to return to Whipps Cross for further treatment.

‘I wanted to die,’ she said. ‘I thought why couldn’t I have a heart attack and end it.’

akyiwaa was found guilty of holding a bed sheet over 87-year-old Joan Massett’s head and telling her she was dead.

She pushed Ms Massett’s breasts in another incident and forcefully twisted her mouth which was both ‘demeaning and completely unnecessary’.

Sakyiwaa shouted at 88-year-old patient Elizabeth Toussaint to force her to sit in a chair and slapped Louise Hodges, 92, after cleaning her, the hearing was told.

Jackson was found guilty of one count of neglecting patient Barbara Jones, while Gunda was found guilty of one charge of neglect and one charge of assault by beating June Evans.

Jurors heard the healthcare assistants were arrested after a student nurse Lucy Brown whistleblew on them following a placement on the ward last Spring.

John McNally, prosecuting, said: ‘The conduct complained of simply had no place on any ward. It cannot be justified.’

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard 92-year-old Lily Oliver was admitted to the ward on March 27, 2012, suffering from septic arthritis in her left knee.

Mr McNally told jurors: ‘She was bed bound and extremely frail and it is the expert’s professional opinion that she suffered from dementia and wasn’t able to make her own decisions.

‘During the time she was on Beech Ward she was under the care of Akousa Sakyiwaa.

‘Lucy Brown described Akousa Sakyiwaa as being extremely rough with Lily Oliver.

‘In the course of one encounter Lucy Brown noted that when Miss Oliver’s bandages were removed Miss Oliver said ‘mind my leg.’

‘After that Akousa Sakyiwaa grabbed her left knee with both her hands and pushed it towards Lucy Brown.

‘This caused her to scream in pain and turn pale before falling silent. That, we say, is what constitutes ill treatment for that count.’

Opening the case, Mr McNally said: ‘The prosecution case is they variously ill treated patients either by positive actions towards them or by failing to look after them when they should have.

‘The defendants worked on a geriatric ward and were trusted to provide the most basic tasks.

‘There is little doubt some of these would have been unpleasant and that elderly and demented patients could be obstructive.

‘However, this factor only serves to highlight the vulnerability of these patients and outline the fact that providing care professionally was the responsibility of each defendant.

‘An entitlement for proper care should not be a matter of chance given at the whim of the carer.’

The court heard the ward has since closed down following a Metropolitan Police investigation into alleged abuse.