By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
The Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Health, Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, has accused some health facilities, including the Police Hospital, Ridge Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, of using the “no bed syndrome” as a cover for medical negligence following the death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah after multiple referrals.
“Whether there were beds or no beds, the patient could have been attended to; you don’t need a bed to stop bleeding,” Dr. Nawaane said.
According to him, the phrase is increasingly being used to excuse failures in triage and emergency response. He urged hospitals to prioritize the stabilization of patients before considering admission or further referral.
“You stabilize first. The idea that you wait for a bed while someone is bleeding is unacceptable,” he said.
Speaking on the case on the Current Agenda political talk show today, Dr. Nawaane said Charles Amissah was alive when he was moved between facilities and that emergency care should have been provided regardless of bed availability.
“It is true that Charles Amissah was alive during the referrals because you can’t refer a dead body,” he stated.
He also argued that basic life-saving interventions, such as controlling bleeding, do not require an inpatient bed and should be administered immediately at any facility with emergency capacity.
Speaking about the ambulance staff who were with Mr. Amissah during his final moments, Dr. Nawaane said the staff should not be held responsible for the outcome, noting that the patient was alive during transport.
“I don’t blame the ambulance staff for this because Charles Amissah was alive during the referrals, but they could have done better,” he said.
The chairman said the focus of investigations should be on why receiving facilities failed to provide urgent care to a patient who was still alive on arrival.
The “no bed syndrome” refers to the practice where patients seeking emergency care are turned away or delayed due to claims that no beds are available. The issue has been raised repeatedly in Parliament and by the public as a factor in avoidable deaths in Ghana’s health system.
He also stressed the need for better coordination between ambulance services and hospitals to reduce delays and ensure handover procedures are followed.
The Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service have previously stated that emergency care must be provided to all patients in critical condition, regardless of bed status or ability to pay, under the Patient Charter.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Charles Amissah’s death are ongoing.
