118 Minutes Of Neglect: Who Killed Charles Amissah?
Charles Amissah died after being turned away from Police Hospital and Ridge Hospital on the night of February 6th, 2026, at Circle Overpass in Accra. Korle Bu, a teaching hospital, told the ambulance crew to drive him to Legon, but the crew refused. For thirty minutes at Korle Bu, nobody came to the ambulance. Charles Amissah went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance bay. A doctor walked out only to certify the body.
A committee chaired by Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa determined that Charles Amissah died of exsanguination from a single laceration of the upper right arm. Prof. Akosa said this was "death from medical neglect, not from the instant trauma." He also said the EMTs had not been trained to maintain life in the ambulance, calling them "couriers." The Western Region of Ghana does not have a single functioning ICU bed. The nearest ICU to Takoradi is at the Cape Coast Interbeton Government Hospital, which has four beds for the combined population of the Western and Central Regions.
A national real-time emergency-bed and trauma-coordination system is needed. There should be a statutory duty of stabilisation, and refusing to triage must be a disciplinary and criminal offence. A functioning ICU is needed in every region of Ghana. Emergency Medical Technicians need to be trained, equipped, and authorised to maintain life in the back of the ambulance.
Quick Summary
A young engineer bled to death after being turned away from multiple hospitals in Accra - raising serious questions about Ghana's emergency healthcare system. This tragedy highlights critical gaps and failures that demand immediate attention.
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