President John Dramani Mahama has issued a stern warning to all healthcare facilities, emphasising that emergency medical care must be administered to patients in need, irrespective of bed capacity constraints.
He said this while presenting the State of the Nation Address before Parliament on Friday, February 27, 2026.
His remarks follow the death of 29-year-old Charles Amissah, who was denied care by three major hospitals in Accra.
The death of the engineer and staff of Promasidor generated reactions from Parliament this week, with both sides of the House demanding accountability.
President Mahama, in his remarks, stated that patients seeking emergency care must not be turned away under any circumstances but given care even under makeshift facilities.
He has therefore directed the Ministry of Health to issue guidelines to eliminate the unacceptable “no bed” syndrome.
“You do not need to have a comfortable bed to save a patient. No patient must be turned away from any health facility they report to,” he said.
To increase capacity, he announced that the government will implement Phase Two of the Ridge Hospital project, which will expand the number of beds and improve service delivery at one of the country’s key healthcare institutions.
He also announced plans by his government to launch healthcare initiatives that will make primary healthcare accessible.
“This year, the government will fully roll out a free primary healthcare programme, removing all cost barriers at the primary level where it is mostly needed, while strengthening prevention, screening, and health promotion, especially for non-communicable diseases,” he said.
The president added that the Ghana Medical Trust Fund will be scaled up, and access to advanced cardiac care, including cardiac catheterisation services at Tamale, Korle Bu, and Komfo Anokye hospitals, will be expanded.
The measures he explained will help reduce overseas referrals and position Ghana as a centre for specialised care in the sub-region.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
