‘A bed should not decide who lives or dies’ – Kabutey slams health system over Korle-Bu death
Jeffrey Ocansey Kabutey of Revenue Mobilization Africa, has expressed outrage over the death of a 29-year-old man at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital following multiple transfers reportedly due to a “no bed” situation.
Speaking on Kessben Maakye, he described the incident as heartbreaking and unacceptable, Kabutey said he is deeply aggrieved by what he termed negligence that led to the young man’s untimely death.
“Why would we play with someone’s life and allow it to be wasted just like that?” he questioned.
According to him, the persistent “no bed syndrome” cannot continue to be used as justification for failing to attend to emergency cases. He argued that in critical situations, immediate intervention should take precedence over logistical constraints such as bed availability.
“We are tired of enacting laws in this country to the detriment of precious lives. A bed should not be an excuse to deny emergency care,” he stated.
Kabutey further noted that even in war-torn countries, medical personnel improvise to treat patients without waiting for formalities or available beds.
He called for strict sanctions against all individuals found culpable in the chain of events that resulted in the young man’s death, insisting that accountability must not be selective.
“Sanctions must be given to all who played a part in the negligence that led to this unfortunate incident,” he stressed.
In a bold proposal, Kabutey suggested that Members of Parliament redirect their car loan allocations into resourcing the National Ambulance Service and equipping emergency response personnel to better handle critical cases.
“It is high time people are held accountable for their duties,” he added.
The tragic incident has once again sparked intense public debate about emergency healthcare delivery, infrastructure deficits, and professional responsibility within Ghana’s health system.
