Emergency care bill needed to end ‘no-bed syndrome’ – Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has called on lawmakers to pass an Emergency Care Bill to address the persistent “no-bed syndrome” in hospitals across the country.

His call comes in the wake of the death of hit-and-run victim Charles Amissah, who was reportedly denied treatment at three major hospitals before he died — a development that has triggered widespread public concern and ongoing investigations.

Addressing the House, Speaker Bagbin described the incident as deeply troubling and urged Parliament to take firm action to prevent similar occurrences.

“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.

The Speaker instructed that reports from all relevant agencies, including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Ministry of Health, be submitted to the Committee on Health within two weeks for thorough scrutiny.

According to him, Parliament’s role must go beyond reviewing reports and assigning responsibility. He stressed that legislative action is necessary to address systemic challenges that often result in delays or denial of urgent medical care.

“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,” he stated.

Speaker Bagbin further indicated that once the committee completes its work, the Minister responsible for Health, together with the committee, would have to appear before the House.

“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.

The Speaker’s remarks have intensified parliamentary attention on the long-standing “no-bed syndrome,” a term widely used to describe situations where patients in critical condition are unable to access immediate care due to capacity constraints in health facilities.

With the Committee on Health now tasked to examine all reports within a two-week timeframe, Parliament is expected to take further steps toward possible legislation aimed at strengthening emergency healthcare delivery and ensuring accountability within the system.