Dr Ekua Amoako writes: Charles Amissah's death exposes Ghana's deepening healthcare crisis
Charles Amissah's death exposes Ghana's deepening healthcare crisis. The death of Charles Amissah is a painful indictment of a healthcare system that continues to fail the very people it is meant to protect. The disturbing reality is that this death may have been avoidable. According to the expert report led by Prof. Agyekum Badu Akosa, an effective Bed Management Network could likely have saved Mr Amissah's life. Ghana once had a system with close to 80 per cent national coverage and more than eight years of patient data, but that progress was abandoned.
The country inherited more than 300 ambulances and a trained workforce of emergency medical personnel, yet the system appears increasingly overstretched and under-supported. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are no longer receiving Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) training. The Akosa report noted that administering intravenous fluids during transportation could potentially have improved Charles Amissah's chances of survival. Doctors are treating patients in overcrowded corridors. Thousands of trained nurses and newly qualified doctors remain unemployed despite dangerous patient-to-doctor ratios in major facilities such as Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ridge Hospital and the Police Hospital.
Government must employ the thousands of trained doctors and nurses currently without postings, reinstate and modernise the national healthcare database and Bed Management System, strengthen the ambulance network and emergency response infrastructure, and complete abandoned and near-complete health facilities across the country.
Quick Summary
Dr. Ekua Amoako highlights the unfortunate passing of Charles Amissah and its implications for Ghana's healthcare system. She points to systemic failures and neglect, hinting at potentially avoidable circumstances.
Summary - read the full story for complete context.
Image: MyJoyOnline
GhanaFront aggregates news from trusted sources. Click to read the original article.
Keywords
Explore related tagsMore from MyJoyOnline
Related Stories
More from Health
Ghana's healthcare crisis a system failure, not a few bad staff - Arthur Kennedy
A system failure, or just a few bad staff? One doctor says Ghana's healthcare crisis goes much deeper - here's why.
25m ago•4 min read
Charles Amissah's death must mark a turning point for emergency healthcare - Abass Nurudeen
Following a tragic death, one CEO is calling for change - but what reforms does he think are needed?
1d ago•2 min read
Charles Amissah's death heartbreaking and depressing - Abass Nurudeen
The CEO says the circumstances surrounding the death are heartbreaking and reflect a troubling failure - but what happened?
1d ago•2 min read
Ghana needs significant investment in healthcare system - CDD's Vera Abena Addo
Following a tragic death, a CDD-Ghana rep is calling for major changes to healthcare - but what needs fixing?
1d ago•2 min read
