US-based Ghanaian medical doctor and former New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant, Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy, has called for urgent and comprehensive reforms in Ghana’s healthcare system, following the release of a committee report on the country’s ongoing “no-bed syndrome.”
In a statement, Dr Kennedy commended the committee, led by Professor Akosa, for its thorough work and recommendations.
However, he raised concerns about what he described as the report’s narrow focus and the broader systemic issues that continue to plague Ghana’s hospitals.
“I only watched the video of Professor Akosa’s delivery of the report, so I may have missed some points,” Dr Kennedy said. “Nonetheless, I must respectfully challenge both the committee’s conclusions and our national culture of burying our heads in the sand.”
Dr Kennedy described as “astonishing” the notion that the report’s findings were new, noting that the so-called “no-bed syndrome” has existed for decades and even predated Professor Akosa’s tenure as Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
He criticised the report’s emphasis on individual doctors and nurses on duty during the incident, arguing that the failures were symptomatic of a system that has long operated inefficiently.
“The idea that three bad doctors and three bad triage nurses in three of our best hospitals just happened to be at work on this particular day beggars belief,” he said.
According to Dr Kennedy, the committee should have held accountable higher-level administrators and successive political leaders who designed and maintained policies that perpetuate both the “no-bed syndrome” and the “cash-and-carry” system.
He further noted the inadequacy of Ghana’s National Ambulance Service, highlighting its reliance on untrained carriers rather than trained Emergency Medical Technicians.
“On that fateful day, our healthcare system functioned as it was meant to — inefficiently and without compassion,” he said. “It was not a failure of a few individuals; it was the system that failed. I know this because I and many others have raised the alarm repeatedly across governments and political parties, without any meaningful response.”
Dr Kennedy also pointed to international examples, noting that when similar systemic failures occurred in Spain and Portugal, both political leaders and frontline staff were held accountable.
Looking forward, he urged the immediate implementation of the committee’s recommendations and additional reforms, including the overhaul of the national ambulance system to remove fuel charges and ensure the use of trained personnel.
He also called for hospitals to be properly equipped to handle strokes, heart attacks, routine injuries, and other common emergencies, with all changes codified in a comprehensive health reform law.
“When these reforms are completed, hopefully our leaders will abandon the practice of seeking medical care abroad,” Dr Kennedy concluded.
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