The President of the Ghana Medical Association, Ernest Yorke, has called for urgent reforms to Ghana’s emergency healthcare system following the release of the report into the death of Charles Amissah.
Speaking on Ekosii Sen on Asempa FM, Dr. Yorke said the findings of the investigative committee highlight deep-rooted challenges within the country’s healthcare delivery system that require immediate attention.
“There is a challenge that needs to be fixed in the system,” he stated.
According to him, the long-standing issue popularly referred to as “no bed syndrome” reflects broader weaknesses in Ghana’s emergency care system, including inadequate funding, policy gaps, personnel shortages, poor ambulance responsiveness, and challenges with training capacity.
“The issues about no bed syndrome are broad. It shows us that we have challenges when it comes to emergency care in this country. It’s a systemic issue,” he explained.
Dr. Yorke noted that while healthcare workers are expected to maintain high professional standards, the nation must also acknowledge the structural difficulties confronting the sector.
“The problem is not just the doctors or health professionals. Let’s recognize the inherent problem that we have,” he said.
He further indicated that the country lacks comprehensive regulations governing emergency response systems, making it difficult to effectively coordinate emergency healthcare delivery.
“There are no comprehensive regulations governing emergency response in this country,” he added.
The GMA President called on government and stakeholders to use the findings of the report as an opportunity to strengthen healthcare delivery and prevent similar incidents in the future.
“Let’s use this opportunity as a nation and reflect so it doesn’t happen again,” he stated.
Dr. Yorke also maintained that although investigations and disciplinary processes should continue where necessary, the focus should remain on addressing systemic challenges within the healthcare sector.
“We support the upholding of the highest professional standards. But that won’t be the end; we should improve healthcare delivery,” he added.
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