“No-Bed” Death Trap: Why Market Efficiency Is the Cure for Ghana’s Emergency Crisis [ARTICLE]

By Eric Coffie

The headlines in Ghana this week have been a haunting echo of years past. A 29-year-old engineer, in the prime of his life, dies after being shuttled between three major public hospitals. The reason? A two-word death sentence: “No bed.”

As a nation, we have mourned these “preventable” tragedies for decades. From the 70-year-old man reportedly turned away by seven hospitals in 2018 to the hit-and-run victims of 2026, the script remains painfully familiar. But here is the uncomfortable truth the Institute for Liberty and Economic Education (ILEE) must state plainly: the “No-Bed Syndrome” is not a failure of medicine or infrastructure — it is a failure of central planning.

The Fallacy of the Government Monopoly

For too long, Ghana’s health strategy has been built on the logic behind Agenda 111 — the belief that if the government simply builds enough concrete structures, the crisis will disappear. Yet history shows that state-run monopolies are inherently rigid.

In the public sector, a “no bed” response is not merely an admission of full capacity; it is evidence of a system that lacks the incentive to innovate or adapt.

In a competitive market, a customer turned away represents lost revenue and reputational damage. In a state-dominated system, a patient turned away becomes “someone else’s problem.” When there is no competition, urgency fades. When there is no price signal, resources cannot efficiently move from where they are idle to where they are needed most.

A Market-Based Path to Survival

At ILEE, we believe the solution to the bed crisis lies in medical freedom. If we truly want to stop preventable deaths, we must cut the red tape.

First, deregulation. Agencies such as the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) must shift from being gatekeepers to becoming facilitators. It should be as straightforward to establish a modular, high-tech emergency stabilization unit as it is to open a pharmacy. Small, specialized private trauma centers across our cities could act as pressure valves for overwhelmed facilities like Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Ridge Hospital.

Second, emergency care vouchers. The current National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) reimbursement model is too slow for the “Golden Hour” of emergency medicine. ILEE proposes a “Money Follows the Patient” approach. If a public hospital cannot provide a bed, the state should automatically issue a digital voucher to fund immediate stabilization at the nearest accredited private facility. This would instantly create a decentralized emergency network without requiring the state to build, manage, or maintain new infrastructure.

Third, private-led technology. Government attempts to track bed availability through centralized databases have often been hampered by manual entry systems and slow updates. Instead, the private sector should be empowered to build a real-time “bed marketplace” platform — an Uber-style model for emergency routing. When private developers compete to deliver the most accurate and timely data, ambulance drivers will no longer rely on guesswork; the system will guide them.

Conclusion: Choice Saves Lives

The 24-hour economy debated in Parliament should begin with our emergency rooms. But extended service cannot be legislated into existence; it must be incentivized.

By offering targeted tax incentives to private investors who establish Level-1 emergency units, Ghana can unlock significant private capital currently sitting on the sidelines.

The state has had 69 years to solve the “No-Bed Syndrome” — and the crisis persists. It is time to empower Ghanaian medical entrepreneurs, tech innovators, and private investors to step forward.

We do not need more government-built wards alone; we need the freedom to save ourselves.

Let this be the last time a Ghanaian dies for lack of a bed in a city filled with empty rooms.

Eric Coffie is a free market policy expert and founding president of the Institute for Liberty and Economic Education (ILEE).