By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
The Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Health, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, has accused some health facilities, including Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the Ghana Police Hospital, of using the term “no bed syndrome” to conceal medical negligence.
His comments follow the death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah after he was referred to multiple health facilities.
“Whether there were beds or not, the patient could have been attended to. You don’t need a bed to stop bleeding,” Dr Nawaane said.
Speaking on Current Agenda, he said the phrase was increasingly being used to excuse failures in triage and emergency response.
“You stabilise first. The idea that you wait for a bed while someone is bleeding is unacceptable,” he said.
According to Dr Nawaane, Mr Amissah was alive throughout the referral process and should have received emergency treatment regardless of bed availability.
“It is true that Charles Amissah was alive during the referrals because you cannot refer a dead body,” he said.
He stressed 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.
Commenting on the role of the ambulance personnel who transported Mr Amissah, Dr Nawaane said they should not be held solely responsible for the outcome.
“I do not blame the ambulance staff for this because Charles Amissah was alive during the referrals, but they could have done better,” he said.
He said investigations should focus on why the receiving hospitals failed to provide urgent care to a patient who arrived alive and in critical condition.
The term “no bed syndrome” refers to the practice of delaying or turning away emergency patients because of claims that no beds are available. The issue has repeatedly been cited by the public and lawmakers as a contributing factor in preventable deaths in Ghana’s healthcare system.
Dr Nawaane also called for stronger coordination between ambulance services and hospitals to reduce delays and ensure proper patient handovers.
The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service have previously stated that all critically ill patients must receive emergency care, regardless of bed availability or ability to pay, in line with the Patient Charter.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding Mr Amissah’s death are ongoing.
