Treatment can start in a taxi - KATH Dep. Dir. slams 'unacceptable' rejection of emergency patients
Dr. Yaw Opare Larbi, Deputy Medical Director of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), declared that congestion is no excuse for turning away dying patients at hospital gates during a JoyNews dialogue on Thursday, 2nd April 2026. Dr. Larbi insisted that life-saving interventions must begin the moment a patient arrives, even if they are still in the vehicle that brought them, stating, "We can start treatment in the taxi." He also said, "When someone arrives and you say the person cannot be seen, that is unacceptable."
Dr. Larbi's comments followed the death of Charles Amissah, a staff member of Promasidor Ghana Limited, who died after being turned away by major hospitals in Accra due to bed unavailability. Dr. Larbi shared examples of medical teams delivering babies in taxis at hospital entrances. He drew parallels to combat medicine, stating, "We've treated people on the war front, on the field, where there's fighting and bullets are flying around… so that aspect of it [refusing care] is unacceptable." The tragedy has highlighted a perceived "culture of rejection" at various emergency wards.
To fix the broken system, Dr. Larbi proposed three urgent reforms: upgrading existing facilities and ensuring they are equitably distributed, ensuring that frontline workers are well-resourced and incentivised, and a call for "accountable leadership" and integrity in the workspace.
Quick Summary
Dr. Yaw Opare Larbi of KATH has criticized the rejection of emergency patients in Ghana. He suggests that life-saving treatment should commence immediately- but what changes are needed to make this a reality?
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