The President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called for a broader national conversation on the circumstances surrounding the death of engineer Charles Amissah, saying the focus should not only be on individual health professionals but also on systemic challenges within Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem following the release of the investigative report into the incident, Dr Ernest Yorke acknowledged that medical professionals have a duty of care towards patients and are expected to act ethically and professionally at all times.
According to him, doctors and nurses are trained to uphold professional ethics throughout their careers.
“I agree that health professionals or medical staff have a duty of care to treat our patients. We have our own code of ethics that requires us to do what is expected in a professional manner, so that if someone interrogates your work, it will be said that you acted professionally and to the best of your ability under the circumstances. That is the general principle, and we uphold that,” he stated.
He added that medical practitioners are also trained in ethics and professionalism during their induction into the profession.
“During their swearing-in, we take them through ethics and professional uprightness,” he noted.
Despite the concerns raised in the report, the GMA President cautioned against rushing to conclusions before disciplinary procedures are completed.
“We are not saying that any doctor can be absolved from this situation, but we should broaden the conversation. What is going to happen is that we are going to go deeper into the issues. They are going to go through a process, and until the disciplinary process is concluded, we cannot say anybody did wrong,” he said.
He explained that while the investigative committee may have presented preliminary findings, there is still the need for a more detailed assessment of the actions taken by health workers involved in the case.
“The committee may have some preliminary findings within the broader examination of the emergency care system. We are now going to go into details to determine whether what they did was wrong,” he added.
According to him, fairness and due process must guide any disciplinary action.
“The process must be fair, just and equitable,” he stressed.
The GMA President also highlighted several systemic challenges within the healthcare sector, including weak referral systems, poor coordination between hospitals and inadequate ambulance services.
“We shouldn’t limit the conversation to the point that a doctor or nurse didn’t do something right. We must look at the broader systemic issues,” he said.
He questioned why hospitals transfer patients without first confirming the availability of beds or the readiness of the receiving facility.
“From one hospital to the other, the hospital should have called to find out if there was a bed and it was even fit for purpose depending on the patient’s situation. You don’t wait for the patient to get there before another referral,” he stated.
He also called for the creation of a national hospital bed tracking system to improve emergency response and referrals.
“Why don’t we have a national dashboard to know the beds available in all our hospitals to know where patients can go,” he asked.
The GMA President further pointed to logistical challenges affecting ambulance operations across the country.
“The ambulance numbers are few. Sometimes before an ambulance can move, patients have to buy their own fuel, so we have to look at all these things,” he added.
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