An official committee has concluded that 26-year-old Charles Amissah did not die instantly from injuries sustained in a road accident, but rather endured a “slow death from medical neglect” after multiple hospitals failed to provide basic emergency care.
The independent investigation, commissioned by the Minister of Health, found that Mr Amissah was alive at every stage of his ordeal—from the accident scene to the Police Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge), and finally Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. At no point did any of these facilities offer timely, life-saving interventions such as bleeding control, intravenous fluids, or a blood transfusion.
The fatal injury was a deep wound to his right upper arm that damaged major blood vessels. According to the committee, this injury was entirely survivable with basic emergency care. Instead, Mr Amissah died from exsanguination—prolonged and preventable blood loss.
‘Missed Opportunities at Every Turn’
Presenting the report on May 6, 2026, committee chair Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa, a retired pathologist and former Director General of the Ghana Health Service, stated unequivocally that the young man’s death could have been avoided.
“Charles Amissah died of exsanguination due to an upper right arm bone and soft tissue injury, causing damage to the axillary and brachial arteries and veins,” Prof. Akosa said. “The pathology confirms a slow death from medical neglect. What it means is that if at any of these facilities there had been medical intervention, Charles Amissah could have survived.”
The post-mortem report further revealed a deep laceration injury, damaged blood vessels and muscles, and a comminuted open fracture of the right upper humerus.
Seven Health Professionals Face Disciplinary Action
Following the release of the report, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh ordered immediate disciplinary action against seven health professionals named in the findings. They are:
· Dr. Anne-Marie Kudowo (Police Hospital)
· Dr. Nina Naomin Eyram (Greater Accra Regional Hospital)
· Dr. Aida Druante (Korle Bu Teaching Hospital)
· Dr. Genevieve Adjah (Korle Bu Teaching Hospital)
· Ms. Akosua B. Turkson (Greater Accra Regional Hospital)
· Ms. Joy Daisy Nelson (Korle Bu Teaching Hospital)
· Ms. Salamatu Alhassan (Korle Bu Teaching Hospital)
“As Professor stated, the most important aspect is for us to be able to avoid the avoidable deaths we have witnessed,” Mr Akandoh said. He directed the Ministry’s Chief Director to write to the respective hospital authorities and professional regulators to ensure swift action.
‘No Patient Should Be Turned Away’
Beyond individual sanctions, the committee’s recommendations target deep structural flaws in Ghana’s emergency response system. Central to the report is a new principle: no patient in a life-threatening condition should ever be turned away without immediate care.
Key recommendations include:
· Creation of a National Emergency Care Fund to guarantee immediate treatment for critical patients—at public or private facilities—without delays over payment, for at least the first 24 hours.
· A mandatory stabilisation policy requiring all hospitals to provide emergency care before any patient referral.
· Full public use of the Ghana Armed Forces Critical Care and Emergency Hospital to ease pressure on civilian hospitals.
· A nationwide push for emergency skills training in basic life support for health workers, students, and ordinary citizens.
The committee also warned against allowing the report to gather dust, calling for a central governance system to ensure reforms are implemented and enforced.
Government Vows Action
The Health Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to reform, announcing the planned rollout of a national electronic bed management system to reduce patient allocation delays.
“Your work will not be in vain,” Mr Akandoh assured the committee. “We shall endeavour to implement all the recommendations in the best interest of Mother Ghana.”
The committee, formed by the Minister on February 23, 2026, included emergency medicine specialists, senior nurses, and legal and administrative officials from the Ministry of Health.
