Resign if you’re tired of work – Health Committee Chairman to medical professionals

The Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Mark Kurt Nawaane, has cautioned medical professionals against remaining in the healthcare system if they can no longer cope with the demands of the job.

His comments come in the wake of the release of findings by a ministerial investigative committee into the death of Charles Amissah, an engineer who died after allegedly being denied timely emergency medical intervention following a hit-and-run incident in Accra earlier this year.

Speaking during an engagement with the committee, Dr Nawaane stressed that healthcare delivery depended not only on infrastructure and logistics but also on the commitment, responsibility, and ethical conduct of health workers.

“We are saying that it is beyond just the facilities; it is the individuals. Please, if you are a medical professional and you are tired of the work, you can resign. Ghana will survive,” he stated.

The investigative committee, chaired by former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Agyeman Badu Akosa, concluded that Charles Amissah died from prolonged and preventable blood loss rather than the initial injuries he sustained in the accident.

According to the report, failures in emergency response and patient care at the Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital contributed to the tragedy.

The committee recommended disciplinary action against four doctors and three nurses for breaches in duty of care during the emergency response.

Dr Nawaane praised the committee for what he described as a transparent and courageous investigation, especially for naming individuals accused of professional misconduct.

“Immediately we started and mentioned medical negligence and even started coming up with names, and I said thank God, this is a step forward,” he said.

He argued that previous investigations into similar incidents often focused solely on institutional weaknesses while avoiding individual accountability.

“Now we are saying that it is beyond just a facility. It is the individuals,” he stressed.

The Health Committee Chairman further urged health professionals to seek assistance from senior colleagues whenever they encounter situations beyond their competence.

“If you are ready to work, there are ethics. If you can’t do something, you call your colleague, a doctor, or a senior doctor. One funny thing about the senior doctors is that they are always happy to be called,” he added.

Meanwhile, Prof. Badu Akosa warned against allowing the report to suffer the same fate as previous inquiry findings that were never implemented.

“We believe that this is not the first time an event like this has happened. Committee reports were done, and the reports collected dust. We want to ensure that this report does not collect dust but is acted upon,” he said.

The findings have triggered intense national debate over accountability in Ghana’s healthcare system, particularly emergency response procedures and referral systems.