Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, has been blamed for the sudden demise of a 70-year-old man who died in his car after being turned away by seven hospitals due to lack of beds.
According to the Central Regional Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Allotey Jacobs, the Minister’s lack of supervision led to the unprofessional conduct of the health professionals which contributed to the death of the old man.
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Mr. Anthony Opoku-Acheampon died in his car at LEKMA Hospital in Accra after seven hospitals including the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Police Hospital failed to attend to his health emergency.
All seven (7) hospitals they visited refused to attend to him because they said there were no available beds. Ishmael Opoku, son of the late Mr Opoku-Acheampon, says none of the hospitals he visited even administered first aid to stabilize the condition of his fainting father.
The ‘no bed syndrome’ has generated huge controversy with many condemning the hospitals who failed to attend to the man.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched investigations into the unfortunate incident and has assured that it will bring all those culpable to book.
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But speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Tuesday, Allotey Jacobs said the Health Minister cannot absolve himself from blame in the issue.
“All he [Agyemang-Manu] does is to sit in his office to be served when you were appointed to serve the people”, he fumed.
The NDC Central Region Chairman maintained that if the Health Minister had gone to these hospitals, he would have known that they lacked beds.
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Allotey Jacobs charged Hon. Agyemang-Manu to hit the ground running and equip these hospitals to avert any such incident in the future.
He also called on the Ghana Health Service to ensure the people responsible are punished to serve as a deterrent to others.