Parliament pushes for emergency care law after tragic death of Charles Ammisah

Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, has called for urgent legislation to ensure emergency care is never denied in Ghanaian health facilities, following the death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Ammisah.

Speaking in Parliament, Mr. Bagbin described the tragic incident as a national wake-up call, urging the enactment of an Emergency Care Law to hold negligent health workers accountable and prevent similar systemic failures in the future.

“There are many examples of these needless deaths in this country…At the end of the day, the Minister of Health, together with the committee, will have to come before this House and then we can legislate on the matter,” he said.

Mr. Bagbin’s call came after Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Minority Leader, detailed how Mr. Ammisah, a Promasidor Ghana Limited employee, suffered a hit-and-run accident on February 6, 2026, at the Circle Overpass in Accra and was subsequently turned away by Police Hospital, Ridge Hospital, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital due to alleged lack of beds.

The ambulance crew reportedly stabilised Mr. Ammisah and controlled severe bleeding, but despite their efforts, he was refused admission at all three facilities. After roughly 30 minutes, he went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead—a death Mr. Afenyo-Markin attributed to systemic state failure rather than the initial accident.

“At none of these facilities was triage conducted, and vital signs were never taken. Charles Ammisah remained in that ambulance while the institutions established to save him refused to receive him,” he said.

Highlighting the breach of protocol, Mr. Afenyo-Markin noted that a 2018 Ghana Health Service directive explicitly prohibits denying emergency care based on bed availability, mandating alternative stabilisation measures such as the use of couches, wheelchairs, or tables.

In response, Speaker Bagbin directed Parliament’s Health Committee to thoroughly examine Ministry of Health and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital reports, summoning hospital heads and emergency unit personnel to provide triage logs, duty rosters, and bed occupancy records for the night of the incident.

“We have to take control and hold people accountable. Emergency cannot be optional, and our hospitals do not have the moral or legal discretion to abandon the dying,” he stressed.

Both leaders emphasised that any confirmed misconduct should result in sanctions or prosecution, and systemic failures must trigger comprehensive reform. Bagbin also urged MPs not to politicise the matter, while calling on citizens to demand accountability from public officials.

The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, added that while many health workers act with patriotism and professionalism, growing indiscipline and disregard for human life in some facilities are alarming and must be addressed.

The tragic case has sparked widespread calls for reform, with Parliament poised to legislate to ensure that no Ghanaian life is lost due to administrative negligence or systemic lapses in emergency healthcare.