Two medical doctors and two nurses at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital have been temporarily relieved of their duties to allow for investigations into the alleged negligence involving a hit-and-run victim, Charles Amissah.

Management of the hospital, in a press statement issued on Monday, February 23, indicated that it has constituted a committee to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the death of the victim.

“The Management of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital wishes to announce that two medical doctors and two nurses have been interdicted following their alleged failure to provide emergency medical care to a hit-and-run victim.

"In line with established administrative procedures, a committee has been constituted to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and the unfortunate death of the victim.

“Pending the outcome of the committee's work, the Board and Management call on all persons connected to the matter to cooperate fully with the committee to ensure a fair and transparent inquiry,” part of the statement read.

Meanwhile, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has assured that it remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the delivery of quality healthcare services, adding that further information will be communicated upon completion of the investigation.

General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Richard Selormey, has called for urgent reforms in Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.

According to him, “There’s no centralised point where we can know how many beds are available … any capacity system that can tell us this”.

He noted that it is about time the government invested in peripheral hospitals to address the country's persistent “no bed syndrome”.

He added, “There’s also the challenge of dumping. No matter how many beds we provide in Korle Bu, if all the peripheries are dumping into Korle Bu and are not strengthened, Korle Bu always have no beds. Ridge will always have no bed. Komfo Anokye will always have no bed”.

Dr Richard Selormey, General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), has urged the government to strengthen peripheral hospitals to prevent the persistent “no bed syndrome” at major facilities such as Korle Bu, Ridge, and Komfo Anokye.

The deceased, a 29-year-old engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited, sustained multiple injuries, particularly to his shoulders, after he was knocked down by a speeding vehicle at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass in Accra on February 6.

Charles Amissah was reportedly denied further medical attention at the Police Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital due to a lack of available beds, after being stabilised by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel.

The development has sparked public outrage, with many Ghanaians demanding answers. Reports indicate that Charles Amissah’s father has, over the years, donated hospital beds to health facilities.Ghana has been struggling with the ‘no bed syndrome’ for decades, with no lasting solution to the situation. The ‘no bed syndrome’ describes the practice of hospitals and clinics turning away patients seeking walk-in or referral emergency care, citing reasons such as “no bed available” or “all beds are full.”

The term, which has become a familiar phrase in Ghana, has led several others to their untimely deaths.

In 2023, an eleven-year-old girl, Linda Mirekua, who was suffering from kidney disease, was reportedly denied admission at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital due to the unavailability of a medical bed.

Mirekua, from Nobi, a farming community in the Abuakwa North Municipality, was diagnosed with kidney disease but was left at home due to the inability of her physically challenged mother to afford the cost of her dialysis.

Her condition worsened in recent times, and she was admitted to Akyem Tafo Government Hospital.

Linda’s situation was shared on a local social media platform, where GH¢6,000 was mobilised through contributions from philanthropists to support dialysis treatment at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

However, on Thursday, February 16, 2023, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital reportedly denied her admission due to the unavailability of a bed.

Management of Akyem Tafo Hospital subsequently contacted the University of Ghana Medical Center (UGMC) to refer Linda Mirekua.

However, UGMC reportedly demanded that the patient settle GH¢8,000 in outstanding medical bills owed to the facility from the previous year and be prepared for “cash and carry” before she would be admitted for dialysis treatment.