Editorial: Are Ghanaian State Hospitals Becoming Arenas Of Hopelessness?

The Chronicle is compelled to return to a matter that strikes at the very heart of public confidence in Ghana’s health system. A deeply disturbing incident in Accra has once again exposed what many citizens quietly fear, that our public hospitals are struggling to fulfil their most basic mandate, saving lives in emergencies.

Report carried by Myjoyonline indicates that a 29-year-old Engineer, Charles Amissah, died after three major state-run hospitals allegedly declined to admit him, following a hit-and-run accident at the Nkrumah Circle Overpass on February 6, 2026.

Emergency Medical Technicians from the National Ambulance Service reportedly stabilised him at the scene. Yet for nearly three hours, he was said to have been turned away by the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the Police Hospital, reportedly due to lack of beds. He later died while efforts were ongoing to secure admission.

The Chronicle finds this development not only heart-breaking, but alarming. These are not peripheral facilities. They are among the largest and best-resourced referral centres in the capital. If such institutions cannot accommodate a critically injured patient in Accra, what message does that send to the ordinary Ghanaian?

This case has drawn public attention. However, The Chronicle believes that many similar tragedies may have occurred without headlines. How many families have been told there was “no bed” and quietly returned home to grief? The so-called “no bed syndrome” has lingered for years, gradually normalised, yet devastating in its consequences.

The Chronicle is particularly troubled that this incident occurred in Greater Accra, a region comparatively endowed with health infrastructure. The challenge, therefore, cannot simply be about the absence of buildings. It speaks to deeper systemic weaknesses, poor emergency coordination, inadequate real-time bed management systems and congestion at tertiary facilities, especially during weekends when referrals surge.

Over time, allegations have surfaced that desperate relatives sometimes feel pressured to “facilitate” admissions with money. If such claims hold any truth, then the crisis transcends infrastructure and touches on ethics. Public trust in the healthcare system is fragile; it cannot withstand perceptions of indifference or impropriety.

The Chronicle also notes the recurring irony that many political leaders seek medical treatment abroad when confronted with serious health challenges. While every citizen deserves the best care available, The Chronicle cannot ignore the public perception that decision-makers may lack urgency in fixing a system they do not fully rely upon.

We welcome the directive by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the young engineer’s death. However, The Chronicle stresses that investigations must not end as routine administrative exercises. The Ghanaian public deserves transparent findings and actionable reforms.

The Chronicle further calls on professional bodies such as the Ghana Medical Association and the Ghana Registered Nurses Association to take a keen interest in this matter. Protecting the integrity of their professions must include defending systems that ensure timely emergency care.

Hospitals are meant to be arenas of hope. When critically injured citizens are reportedly moved from one major facility to another in search of a bed, hope gives way to despair. The Chronicle believes the time has come for structural reforms, including digital bed-tracking systems, improved ambulance-hospital coordination, expansion of emergency units and stricter accountability measures.

Access to emergency healthcare is not a favour granted at convenience; it is a fundamental duty of the state. If our premier hospitals cannot guarantee that basic assurance, then Ghana must urgently confront the reality of its health system and undertake reforms that place human life above bureaucratic limitation.

The Chronicle insists, this tragedy must not become another fleeting headline. It must mark a turning point.

 

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