A medical doctor and sister of deceased engineer Charles Henry Amissah has sued three major health facilities, several medical professionals and the Attorney General over what she describes as a chain of negligent acts that led to her brother’s death after a road accident in Accra.
Dr. Matilda Amissah, suing as administratrix of the estate of Charles Henry Amissah, is seeking GH¢20 million in general damages at the High Court in Accra over the February 2026 incident that triggered national outrage and renewed debate about Ghana’s persistent “No Bed Syndrome.”
The suit names the Ghana Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, several doctors and nurses attached to the facilities, as well as the Attorney General’s Department.
According to the statement of claim filed before the General Jurisdiction Division of the High Court, Charles Henry Amissah, a 29-year-old Electronic and Automation Engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited, was involved in a hit-and-run accident on the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass at about 10:30 p.m. on February 6, 2026.
The suit states that after Amissah failed to return home, relatives reported him missing at the Adentan Police Station. Four days later, the family was contacted by officers at the Nima Police Station and informed that an accident victim had been deposited at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Dr. Amissah told the court that upon arrival at the hospital mortuary, the family found the body in a decomposing state outside the cold room, infested with maggots.
The writ alleges that the National Ambulance Service initially transported the injured engineer to the Police Hospital after receiving a distress call. However, staff at the facility allegedly informed ambulance personnel that there was no available bed space.
The plaintiff claims ambulance personnel pleaded with medical staff to at least administer first aid because the victim was bleeding heavily, but no emergency stabilisation was provided.
The suit further alleges that the patient was subsequently transferred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge, where another request for urgent treatment was allegedly declined on similar grounds of unavailable beds.
According to the filing, the ambulance eventually proceeded to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where the plaintiff claims medical personnel again refused immediate care despite appeals from ambulance staff to treat the patient on the stretcher.
The suit states that Charles Henry Amissah later suffered cardiac arrest at about 12:50 a.m. and was pronounced dead at Korle-Bu.
The plaintiff argues that her brother remained alive for more than two hours while being moved between hospitals and could have survived if emergency interventions had been administered promptly.
Court documents cite the post-mortem findings as deep laceration injuries to the right upper arm, severe blood loss, fractures and trauma-related complications resulting from exsanguination.
Dr. Amissah is accusing the hospitals and medical personnel of negligence, including failure to provide emergency triage, failure to stabilise the patient, failure to conduct vital assessments and failure to prioritise urgent care despite the severity of his condition.
She also alleges that the handling of the body after death caused additional trauma to the family because decomposition prevented the body from being laid in state during funeral rites.
The suit follows the findings of the government-appointed committee chaired by Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, which investigated the circumstances surrounding the death.
The committee concluded earlier this month that failures by medical personnel at the three hospitals contributed to the engineer’s death and that timely emergency interventions could have saved his life.
Its report cited serious lapses in emergency response procedures, weak coordination between institutions and failures by clinicians to provide immediate life-saving care despite the patient arriving alive at all three facilities.
The committee also recommended disciplinary action against several healthcare professionals named in the suit and proposed broader reforms to Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
Dr. Amissah maintains that the defendants’ actions caused immense emotional and financial hardship to the family, particularly because the deceased had become the primary support for their mother after the death of their father in 2019.
The defendants have been given eight days after service of the writ to enter appearance or risk judgment being entered against them in default.
Read also
Transport Ministry probes alleged misuse of GH¢40m railway funds
