Speaker calls for emergency care law to address ‘no-bed syndrome’
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has urged lawmakers to pass an Emergency Care Law to address the persistent “no-bed syndrome” in hospitals, following the death of hit-and-run victim Charles Amissah, who reportedly died after being denied treatment at three major hospitals.
Addressing the House, Speaker Bagbin described Amissah’s death as “needless” and directed the Health Committee to investigate the findings of all ongoing probes into the incident.
He instructed that reports from all relevant agencies, including Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Ministry of Health, be submitted to the committee within two weeks.
“I will direct our Committee on Health to take all the reports that will come from the ministry, the Korle-Bu Hospital, or wherever, and go deeply into them. We have to take control; we need to inquire further into the matter, and we need to hold people accountable. This is one of the needless deaths we have experienced in this country,” he said.
Speaker Bagbin stressed that an emergency care law is critical to preventing similar deaths resulting from delays or denial of urgent medical attention.
“I will urge the House to legislate on the matter. We need to pass an Emergency Care Law on this matter. The Chair of the Committee on Health, the Ranking Member, please carry your members along, and work on this matter.
“At the end of the day, the minister responsible for health, together with the committee, will have to come before this House. Then we can take that opportunity to legislate on the matter and try to bring finality to these needless deaths in our country,” he added.
