The General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Richard Selormey, has asked for a thorough discussion on the ‘no bed’ syndrome in Ghana’s health system to avoid what Speaker Bagbin describes as “needless deaths” in the country.
Dr. Selormey says the matter cannot be addressed by isolating the health worker from the entire emergency system.
He believes the matter requires a holistic dialogue and fixing of the various components in the emergency system to make it whole for nati on’s healthcare delivery to thrive.
His comments come on the back of the death of a 29-year-old engineer, Charles Ammisah, an employee of Promasidor Ghana Limited, who was involved in a hit-and-run accident on February 6 this year.
Mr. Amissah died after being denied emergency care by three hospitals –Ridge Hospital, Police Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital –citing lack of beds to admit him.
He was involved in a hit-and-run accident at the Circle Overpass in Accra and later died after the above mentioned facilities allegedly denied him emergency care.
Speaking on Ghana Tonight on TV3 Tuesday, February 24, 2026, the GMA General Secretary said Ghana does not have a functioning emergency system in the meantime.
According to him, only certain components of the system exist, stressing the need to fix the entire sector to address challenges.
“This is a systemic matter that must be discussed appropriately as such, if not, then we’ll never solve this problem. We’ll engage in the usual rants on the matter and then nothing gets done.
“That is the reason we deem it is not fair and proper to focus directly on only the health worker, leaving the other key and critical components of an emergency system. As it stands, I dare say that we do not have a functioning emergency system per se in the country. We may have various components working, but we do not have a functioning emergency system,” he held.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has called for an Emergency Care Law to be enacted to check the excesses that occur during emergency situations at health facilities.
Bagbin pushes for Emergency Care Law after engineer denied treatment at 3 hospitals dies
