A medical doctor and sister of deceased engineer Charles Henry Amissah has filed a GH¢20 million lawsuit against three major hospitals, several healthcare professionals and the Attorney General over what she describes as negligent medical failures that led to her brother’s death after a road accident in Accra.
Dr Matilda Amissah, acting as administratrix of the estate of Charles Henry Amissah, filed the suit at the General Jurisdiction Division of the High Court in Accra following the February 2026 incident that sparked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns about Ghana’s long-standing “No Bed Syndrome”.
The defendants named in the suit include the Ghana Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, several doctors and nurses attached to the facilities, and the Attorney General’s Department.
Engineer reportedly moved between 3 Accra hospitals
According to the statement of claim, 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 court documents state that after he failed to return home, family members reported him missing at the Adentan Police Station. Four days later, officers at the Nima Police Station reportedly informed the family that an accident victim matching his description had been deposited at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital mortuary.
Dr Amissah told the court that when relatives arrived at the mortuary, they allegedly found the body outside the cold room in a decomposing state and infested with maggots.
The lawsuit alleges that the National Ambulance Service first transported the injured engineer to the Ghana Police Hospital after receiving a distress call from the accident scene.
However, medical staff at the facility allegedly informed ambulance personnel that there was no available bed space.
According to the writ, ambulance personnel pleaded with staff to administer emergency treatment because the victim was bleeding heavily, but no stabilisation measures were provided before he was referred elsewhere.
The suit further claims the patient was then transferred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital at Ridge, where another request for urgent care was allegedly declined due to unavailable beds.
‘No Bed Syndrome’ debate returns
Court filings indicate that the ambulance later proceeded to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where medical personnel allegedly again failed to provide immediate care despite appeals from ambulance staff to treat the patient while he remained on the stretcher.
Charles Henry Amissah reportedly suffered cardiac arrest at about 12:50 a.m. and was pronounced dead at Korle-Bu.
The plaintiff argues that the engineer remained alive for more than two hours while being transported between hospitals and could have survived if emergency interventions had been provided promptly.
The post-mortem examination reportedly identified severe blood loss, deep lacerations, 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 seriousness of his condition.
The suit also alleges that the handling of the body after death caused additional emotional trauma to the family because the extent of decomposition prevented the deceased from being laid in state during funeral rites.
Government committee found serious lapses
The lawsuit follows investigations by a government-appointed committee chaired by Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa into the circumstances surrounding the engineer’s death.
The committee reportedly concluded earlier this month that failures by medical personnel at the three hospitals contributed to the death and that timely emergency interventions could have saved him.
Its report cited serious lapses in emergency response procedures, weak coordination between health 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 called for broader reforms to Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
Family says death caused emotional and financial hardship
Dr Amissah maintains that the alleged failures by the defendants caused severe emotional and financial hardship to the family.
According to the suit, Charles Henry Amissah had become the primary source of support for their mother following the death of their father in 2019.
The defendants have been given eight days after service of the writ to enter an appearance or risk judgment being entered against them in default.
