The death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah has ignited nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of the struggling emergency healthcare system af
The death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah has ignited nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of the struggling emergency healthcare system after an investigative committee concluded that his death may have been preventable.
The committee indicted four medical officers, all females from three different hospitals for negligent and dereliction of duties.
In addition, three other female health professionals were also found wanting in the unfortunate passing of Charles Amissah.
The affected officers are Dr Aida Druante, Dr Genevieve Adjah, Joy Daisy Nelson and Salamatu Alhassan, of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH). Also mentioned are Dr Nina Naomin Eyram and Akosua B. Turkson of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH) Ridge, as well as Dr Anne-Marie Kudowo of the Police Hospital. The committee recommended the initiation of disciplinary actions for their roles in the death of Charles Amissah, a victim of a hit-and-run road accident.
The findings of the three-member committee, chaired by renowned pathologist Prof Agyeman Badu Akosa, reconstructed the final 118 minutes of Amissah’s life, revealing how the young engineer was transferred between multiple health facilities without receiving definitive emergency treatment after a hit-and-run accident near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass in Accra on February 6, 2026.
According to the report, the incident occurred around 10:32 p.m., when Amissah sustained severe injuries, including a deep upper-arm wound that damaged major blood vessels and caused extensive blood loss.
Personnel from the National Ambulance Service reportedly arrived at the scene shortly afterward and transported him to the Police Hospital within 11 minutes.
However, the committee found that although the patient was alive upon arrival, he was not adequately stabilised before being referred elsewhere.
From the Police Hospital, he was transferred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, commonly known as Ridge Hospital, at about 10:58 p.m.
The ordeal did not end there.
Investigators say Amissah was subsequently referred again to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, where he arrived around 11:20 p.m., still alive despite his worsening condition.
Yet, according to the committee, no definitive intervention capable of saving his life was carried out. Prof. Akosa noted during the presentation of the findings that the patient remained alive throughout the transfers, stressing that several opportunities existed to prevent the tragedy.
The report specifically cited failures in emergency response procedures, delayed interventions, and poor professional judgment by some healthcare personnel.
Investigators further disclosed that a final referral to the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) was considered, but the ambulance crew allegedly declined to continue the transfer. Amissah was eventually pronounced dead around 12:30 a.m., approximately 118 minutes after the accident.
The committee concluded that the death could potentially have been avoided if emergency protocols had been properly followed. It highlighted that simple but critical interventions, including immediate compression and dressing of the wound as well as intravenous fluid administration during transport, could have significantly improved his survival chances.
The case has since become one of the most high-profile examples of Ghana’s long-criticised “no-bed syndrome,” a term commonly used to describe situations where critically ill patients are turned away or endlessly referred between hospitals because of capacity constraints or systemic inefficiencies.
Following the release of the report, the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, directed that disciplinary action be taken against several doctors and nurses named in the investigation.
The affected professionals are expected to face processes before the Medical and Dental Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
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