The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, will personally chair an investigative committee on Monday, February 16, to probe the circumstances surrounding a fatal case of “No Bed Syndrome” involving three major hospitals in the capital.
The investigation was prompted by the death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah, who passed away after reportedly being denied care due to a lack of beds at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ridge Hospital, and the Police Hospital.
Speaking on Citi FM on Friday, February 13, the Minister expressed devastation over the incident.
“I was devastated when I heard that somebody had lost his life through this ordeal,” Mr. Akandoh stated.
“We are going to investigate this matter. By Monday, the committee should be in action, and I am going to chair it myself. We will invite all interested parties and get to the bottom of the matter.”
The tragic event occurred on February 6, 2026, when Mr. Amissah was involved in a hit-and-run accident at the Nkrumah Circle Overpass.
According to reports, although he was stabilized by Emergency Medical Technicians from the National Ambulance Service, he was refused admission by the three hospitals over a period of nearly three hours before succumbing to his injuries.
While acknowledging that “No Bed Syndrome” is a systemic challenge within Ghana’s healthcare system, the Minister cautioned against assigning blame prematurely.
He emphasized the need for a thorough investigation to ascertain the full facts before any action is taken.
Beyond the immediate probe, the Ministry is planning broader reforms to prevent future occurrences.
Mr. Akandoh revealed an initiative to establish a centralized call centre to monitor bed availability across hospitals in real-time.
The system would provide visibility of vacant beds and direct patients to facilities with capacity, aiming to mitigate the delays that contribute to such fatal outcomes.
