The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called for sweeping reforms to Ghana’s emergency healthcare system, warning that failure to address structural weaknesses will lead to repeated loss of lives.
Deputy General Secretary Dr Dan Anane-Frimpong said recent events mirror earlier incidents, including a 2018 case where a patient died after being turned away by multiple hospitals.
“We are back to the same issue years later, which means the system has not been redesigned,” he said on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Friday (8 May).
He highlighted critical gaps, including limited emergency beds, inadequate staffing, and weak referral systems.
According to him, Greater Accra — with a population of about six million — has roughly 200 emergency beds, far below required capacity.
Anane-Frimpong also stressed the need for an integrated electronic bed management system to improve coordination between hospitals and ambulance services.
He noted that the lack of such systems forces ambulances to move patients between facilities in search of available space, often with fatal consequences.
The GMA further called for dedicated funding for emergency care to remove financial barriers for patients.
“Emergency healthcare should not depend on whether a patient can pay,” he said.
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