A GH¢20 million lawsuit has been filed at the High Court in Accra over the death of 29-year-old Electronic and Automation Engineer, Charles Henry Amissah, following a hit-and-run accident in February 2026.
The suit, filed by Dr. Matilda Amissah—acting as administrator of her late brother’s estate—names three major health facilities, several medical professionals, and the Attorney General as defendants. It alleges gross medical negligence and has reignited national debate over Ghana’s “No Bed Syndrome” and emergency healthcare response systems.
The defendants have eight days from the date of service to enter appearance or risk judgment being entered in default.
According to court filings, the incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. on February 6, 2026, when Mr. Amissah was struck by a vehicle on the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass in Accra.
He was quickly picked up by the National Ambulance Service in a critical condition and transported to multiple hospitals in an attempt to secure emergency care.
The statement of claim alleges that he was turned away at each facility due to a lack of available beds.
At the Ghana Police Hospital, staff reportedly refused admission and declined to provide basic stabilisation, citing bed shortages. Similar outcomes are said to have occurred at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge) and later at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where emergency treatment was allegedly not administered despite his deteriorating condition.
The suit contends that Mr. Amissah remained alive throughout the transfers but suffered cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at Korle-Bu at 12:50 a.m.—more than two hours after the accident. An autopsy reportedly confirmed the cause of death as severe blood loss (exsanguination) and trauma.
The family further alleges distressing post-mortem handling of the body. After days of searching for their missing relative, they were reportedly directed to the Korle-Bu mortuary, where his body was found outside the cold room in a decomposed state with maggot infestation, making it impossible to perform normal funeral rites, including laying him in state.
The lawsuit also references findings of a government-appointed committee chaired by Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, which reportedly concluded that lapses in emergency care contributed directly to the death.
The committee is said to have identified systemic weaknesses in emergency coordination, triage, and response procedures, and recommended disciplinary action against implicated health workers, alongside broader reforms to the healthcare system.
Dr. Amissah argues that her brother, who was the primary financial support for their mother following their father’s death in 2019, would have survived had prompt stabilisation been provided.
