Charles Amissah report: GMA warns against scapegoating health workers
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has expressed concern that public attention surrounding the publication of doctors’ names in the investigative report into the death of Charles Amissah risks diverting focus from what it describes as deep systemic failures in Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
In a statement issued to members on May 7, 2026, the Association acknowledged the findings of the ministerial committee set up to investigate the circumstances leading to the death of the road accident victim, but cautioned against reducing the matter to individual blame.
According to the GMA, the report itself identified “significant systemic weaknesses and longstanding gaps in emergency care delivery in Ghana”, yet the naming of health professionals who were on duty during the incident had shifted public discourse towards attacks on individuals instead of broader institutional shortcomings.
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The Association said it would immediately begin processes to obtain an official copy of the report in order to study its findings and recommendations before determining its next steps. The statement was jointly signed by the GMA President, Prof. Dr. (Med) Ernest Yorke, and the General Secretary, Dr. (Dent) Richard Selormey.
The reaction from the doctors’ body follows the release of findings by a committee chaired by renowned pathologist and former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa, which concluded that Charles Amissah died from prolonged and preventable blood loss due to failures in emergency medical intervention.
Amissah, an engineer with Promasidor in Accra, suffered severe injuries in a hit-and-run accident in February while returning home from work on his motorbike. The report found that although he remained alive while being transferred between the Police Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, he did not receive timely life-saving interventions such as bleeding control, intravenous fluids or blood transfusion.
The committee concluded that the fatal injury, described as a deep laceration to the right upper arm that damaged major blood vessels and muscles, was survivable if prompt emergency treatment had been administered at any stage of his transfer.
Following the report, the Ministry of Health directed seven health professionals from the three hospitals involved to face disciplinary action. Those named include Dr Aida Druante, Dr Genevieve Adjah, Joy Daisy Nelson and Salamatu Alhassan of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital; Dr Nina Naomin Eyram and Akosua B. Turkson of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital; and Dr Anne-Marie Kudowo of the Police Hospital.
While reaffirming its commitment to accountability and professional standards, the GMA stressed that any disciplinary action arising from the matter must be fair, transparent and based on due process. The Association also assured affected members of support should they face disciplinary proceedings.
“We will provide appropriate support to any member who may be subject to disciplinary proceedings arising from this matter, in line with our mandate to protect the welfare, rights and professional integrity of our members,” the statement said.
The Association further urged doctors and other members to remain calm and avoid public commentary that could prejudice ongoing processes or damage the reputations of colleagues involved in the case.
The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who received the committee’s report in Accra on Wednesday, announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening emergency healthcare delivery and preventing similar incidents in future.
Among the proposed reforms are the rollout of a national electronic bed management system to reduce delays in patient referrals and the opening of the Ghana Armed Forces Critical Care and Emergency Hospital for public use.
The committee also proposed the creation of a national emergency care fund that would guarantee immediate treatment for critically ill patients regardless of their ability to pay, especially within the first 24 hours after admission.
Prof. Akosa said the death of Charles Amissah should serve as a national wake-up call to overhaul emergency healthcare delivery, warning that avoidable deaths would persist unless structural deficiencies were urgently addressed.
The GMA, in its concluding remarks, said the tragic incident should unite stakeholders around reforms that improve emergency care while ensuring justice and fairness for healthcare professionals.
