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The Ghana Health Service (GHS) says it will launch an investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of a 70-year-old man in his car after he was turned away by seven hospitals due to lack of beds.

The late Anthony Opoku-Acheampon, 70, died in his son’s car at the LEKMA Hospital in Accra after he was reportedly turned away by C&J Medicare Hospital at Adabraka where he first sought medical attention.

According to his son, Ishmael Opoku-Acheampon, his late father had complained of a headache but upon arrival at the C&J Medicare Hospital, the nurse on duty told him to take his father to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) due to his age.

In a series of posts on his Facebook wall, Ishmael narrated how upon arrival at the KBTH he was told to take his father to the Korle Bu Polyclinic due to lack of beds.


He said the story was no different at the Korle Bu Polyclinic, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, the Police Hospital, the Trust Hospital and La General Hospital however.

He said that even after several pleas that his father be attended to in the car, the nurses and doctors on duty only told him “there’s nothing we can do.”

Investigations   
       
In an interview with Accra-based Class FM, the Director General of the GHS, Dr Nsiah Asare said his outfit would probe circumstances that led to the death of Mr Opoku-Acheampon.
“I’m very much disturbed about this situation. I think it shouldn’t have happened. All hospitals in this country are acute hospitals and acute hospital means that emergency is an emergency; so I’ve called the Regional Director of Health Services to find out what happened and all the various hospitals which were involved to give us an account of it…and ensure that this does not happen again,” he said.