Accra: The committee constituted to investigate the death of Mr. Charles Amissah has concluded that the 29-year-old engineer died because he was denied emergency care and suffered medical neglect. On February 6, Mr. Amissah was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run incident near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass in Accra.
According to Ghana News Agency, reports indicated that he was attended to by the National Ambulance Service immediately after the incident but was turned away by the Police, Ridge, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals due to a lack of beds. Social media reports earlier suggested that he died while still in transit.
Presenting the findings in Accra, Professor Badu Akosa, Chairman of the six-member committee, stated that Mr. Amissah died from excessive blood loss following a motorcycle accident at the Circle Overhead Bridge on February 6, 2026. Pathology reports confirmed that the victim suffered a slow death from medical neglect rather than instant trauma, indicating that timely intervention at any stage could have saved his life.
The report, titled 'The Report on Investigations into the Untimely Death of Charles Amissah Due to the Denial of Emergency Care at the Police, Korle Bu and Ridge Hospitals,' revealed that the ambulance reached the accident scene at 22:32 hours. The patient, who was alive throughout the referrals to three major health facilities, first arrived at the Police Hospital at 22:43 hours. He was not attended to and was referred after 11 minutes. He reached the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at 22:58 hours, but again, he was not stabilized and was referred after 17 minutes.
Prof. Akosa further detailed that by 23:20 hours, the patient had reached the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where no emergency intervention was initiated. Although a referral to the University of Ghana Medical Centre was suggested, the ambulance team declined to proceed. Mr. Amissah was pronounced dead at 00:30 hours, approximately 118 minutes after the incident, while still in the ambulance.
Professor Akosa emphasized that basic interventions such as applying pressure to control bleeding, wound packing, and administering intravenous fluids could have stabilized the patient. He stated, "If at any of these facilities there had been medical intervention, Charles Amissah could have survived."
The committee pointed out the failure of the Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to triage the patient and initiate life-saving interventions despite his critical condition. It recommended disciplinary action against the affected doctors and nurses, including referrals to their respective institutions and regulatory bodies, such as the Medical and Dental Council and the Nurses and Midwives Council.
Professor Akosa stressed the urgent need to build a responsive emergency care system, noting that 'avoidable deaths' must no longer be tolerated. He called for the establishment of a national electronic emergency bed management system and mandatory triage and stabilization of all emergency patients in both public and private facilities.
Responding to the report, Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, assured the public that the government would implement the committee's recommendations. "I want to assure you that the details of the report, especially the recommendations, will be implemented to the letter," he said. He mentioned that steps were already underway to operationalize an electronic bed management system, beginning with regional and teaching hospitals, to improve real-time access to available beds.
Mr. Akandoh also stated that the Ghana Armed Forces Critical Care and Emergency Hospital would be integrated into the national emergency care framework and made accessible to the public. The doctors cited in the report include Dr. Anne-Marie Kudowor, Dr. Nina Naomi Eyram, Dr. Ida Druant, and Dr. Genevieve Adjar. Additionally, Miss Akosua B. Turkson, Miss Joy Daisy Nelson, and Miss Salamatu Alhassan Aidoo were also mentioned.