A doctor has sued three major hospitals in Ghana, several health workers and the Attorney General over the death of her brother following a road accident in Accra.
Dr Matilda Amissah is seeking 20 million Ghana cedis in damages, alleging that a series of failures by medical staff contributed to the death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Henry Amissah in February 2026.
The case has intensified debate over Ghana’s long-running “No Bed Syndrome”, in which critically ill patients are reportedly turned away from hospitals because of a lack of space.
According to court documents filed at the High Court in Accra, Mr Amissah, an electronic and automation engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited, was injured in a hit-and-run accident on the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass on 6 February.
His family reported him missing after he failed to return home. Four days later, police informed relatives that an unidentified accident victim had been taken to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Dr Amissah said the family later discovered his body at the hospital mortuary in what she described as a decomposed state outside a cold room.
The lawsuit alleges that the National Ambulance Service first transported Mr Amissah to the Ghana Police Hospital, where staff reportedly said there were no beds available.
According to the filing, ambulance personnel appealed for emergency treatment because the patient was bleeding heavily, but no immediate stabilisation was carried out.
The suit says he was then transferred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge, where another request for urgent treatment was allegedly declined for the same reason.
Mr Amissah was later taken to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where the plaintiff claims medical staff again failed to provide emergency care despite pleas from ambulance officers to treat him on the stretcher.
He reportedly suffered cardiac arrest shortly before 01:00 and was pronounced dead soon afterwards.
The statement of claim argues that Mr Amissah remained alive for more than two hours while being moved between hospitals and that timely intervention could have saved him.
A post-mortem examination cited severe blood loss, fractures and traumatic injuries as the cause of death.
Dr Amissah accuses the hospitals and medical personnel of negligence, including failing to conduct emergency triage, stabilise the patient and prioritise urgent care.
She also says the condition of the body caused further distress to the family and disrupted funeral arrangements.
The lawsuit follows an investigation by a government-appointed committee chaired by Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa.
The committee concluded that failures by medical personnel at all three hospitals contributed to the engineer’s death and said earlier emergency treatment might have saved his life.
Its report identified weaknesses in emergency response procedures and coordination between hospitals, and recommended disciplinary action against some of the healthcare workers involved, as well as wider reforms to Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
The defendants have eight days from the date they are served with the writ to respond before a default judgment may be entered against them.
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