The culture of not taking safety and security precautions seriously in Ghana is becoming alarming, particularly in our healthcare facilities.
Medical facilities are meant to be safe places for patients who need medical attention when they are sick.
When they visit, they must be protected to safeguard their mental, emotional and physical well-being until they are discharged from the hospital, particularly mothers at the maternity blocks (labour ward).
A safe environment must be secure, supportive, with minimised physical hazards and emotional risks, allowing patients to thrive without fear of harm, neglect or abuse within the confines of the facilities.
Security at our medical facilities must be adequate, both physical and administrative, with appropriate controls to protect patients and facilities against various risks such as unauthorised access.
Managers of our healthcare facilities, from the quasi, tertiary, regional and district facilities, have not given the needed attention to the safety and security of their clients.
Patients who visit these medical facilities pay for all services rendered to them either out of pocket or through the National Health Insurance reimbursement plan.
So, the question that arises is what is the topmost priority of our medical facility managers in the country?
Is it only providing general consulting services and generating more internal revenue to support the running of the facilities, to the neglect of patients’ safety and security?
Charter, baby thief
The Ghana Health Service patient charter was enacted to protect the rights of patients in the country.
Patients are entitled to personal safety and reasonable security within the confines of any healthcare facility, but managers of these facilities have failed to prioritise these mandatory measures captured in the patient charter.
Thefts of newborn babies have been recorded across various medical facilities in the country.
On June 11, 2026, a newborn baby went missing at the Salaga Hospital in the East Gonja District.
On February 17, 2026, a four-day-old baby was stolen by a woman who pretended to be a nurse at the Mamprobi Polyclinic in Accra.
The baby was recovered and the suspect was arrested.
At the Tamale Hospital in December 2025, a newborn baby went missing after a woman posing as a nurse entered the facility.
In the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital in 2025, a week-old baby was stolen after a stranger offered to assist the mother who had briefly left the ward.
At the Kumasi South Government Hospital, a woman was arrested for stealing a newborn baby at the facility; she was arrested and imprisoned for six years.
On January 31, 2011, a similar incident happened at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where a woman posing as a nurse stole a two-week-old baby at the facility.
Baby thefts in medical facilities are indications of medical facility managers not prioritising the safety and security of patients, particularly pregnant women, admitted at maternity wards.
The Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service must take the necessary actions to halt these baby thefts by enforcing the Patient Charter in all facilities.
The directive by the Minister of Health to all health facilities on February 18, 2026, to install CCTV surveillance systems and wear staff tags must be adhered to.
Assistant Manager, Health Insurance Authority,
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