Family, friends, and colleagues gathered on Friday, 27 February 2026, to bid farewell to 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah, whose death has sparked the most intense national debate over Ghana’s emergency healthcare system in recent years.
Amissah, an engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited, died on 6 February 2026 after sustaining injuries in a hit-and-run accident at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass in Accra. Emergency responders stabilised him at the scene, but he was subsequently turned away from three major hospitals, including the Police Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge), and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), each citing unavailability of beds. He suffered cardiac arrest at Korle-Bu and was pronounced dead after nearly three hours of desperate transfers between facilities.
His mother, in a tribute at the funeral, described her son as passionate, cutting short her words in grief. The ceremony underscored the raw pain still felt by those closest to him, even as the country’s political establishment continues to grapple with the institutional failures his death has exposed.
The funeral came on the same day President John Dramani Mahama, speaking at the 2026 State of the Nation Address, issued a direct warning to hospitals that no patient must be turned away during a medical emergency. He directed the Ministry of Health to issue guidelines barring the practice nationwide.
Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has since interdicted two doctors and two nurses pending a full investigation. Parliament’s Health Committee has been directed by Speaker Alban Bagbin to review all investigative reports from relevant institutions within two weeks, while Deputy Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah has pledged sweeping reforms to emergency care infrastructure and staff retraining across the country.
As Amissah was laid to rest, his death remained under active review and had become the catalyst for calls for an Emergency Care Law in Ghana.
