Refusing emergency patients over no beds unacceptable — Gyamfi

A member of the New Patriotic Party’s National Communication Team, Richard Gyamfi, has called for the enforcement of a “no refusal policy” in Ghana’s healthcare system to prevent emergency patients from being turned away due to lack of beds.

His comments follow the death of 29-year-old Charles Amissah, who was reportedly denied emergency care by three major hospitals in Accra last Friday, February 6, over claims of “no vacant bed available.”

Mr. Amissah, an engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited, was involved in a hit-and-run accident at the Nkrumah Circle Overpass while returning home to Adenta from work at the North Industrial Area.

He was said to have been moved between facilities for nearly three hours before he died.

Reacting to the incident on Accra-based Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily show on Tuesday, February 17, Gyamfi said no emergency patient must be refused care under any circumstance.

“Under no circumstances whatsoever must the patient be turned away, especially in emergency situations. No traumatic incident should be turned away with the sole excuse that there is no bed,” he said.

According to him, the standard medical protocol requires health professionals to stabilise a patient before initiating a referral.

“The practice is to stabilise the patient before referral. We use corridors, ambulances as atriums to stabilise traumatic emergency patients, and then find ways to refer them. We cannot refuse care on the flimsy excuse that there is no bed,” he stated.

He urged government to engage stakeholders and enforce strict accountability measures to ensure emergency cases are handled with urgency and professionalism.