BY GRACE ZIGAH
The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, has called on the government to shift its focus from announcing new healthcare projects to completing hospitals that have already been started but remain stalled across the country.
He argues that the persistent shortage of hospital beds and inadequate healthcare infrastructure continue to put lives at risk, particularly in communities outside Accra.
His comments come in the wake of the death of 29-year-old Charles Amissah, an Electronic and Automation Engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited, who died on February 6, 2026, after he was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run accident at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass in Accra.
A subsequent ministerial and parliamentary investigations found that lapses at the Police Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital and Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital contributed to the circumstances surrounding his death.
Speaking to Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Wednesday, the Presbyterian Moderator acknowledged Parliament’s Health Committee for investigating the circumstances surrounding Amissah’s death but stressed that the challenges exposed by the case go beyond one individual.
He warned that inadequate facilities could mean that other patients across the country face similar difficulties when they require urgent medical attention.
President John Dramani Mahama subsequently directed that no patient should be turned away from any health facility because of the absence of a bed. However, Rt. Rev. Dr Kwakye believes that such directives must be supported by adequate infrastructure if the country is to permanently address the problem.
“All these hospitals must be completed,” he said, warning that Ghana could have many other people losing their lives because appropriate facilities are unavailable when they need them. He pointed specifically to stalled projects initiated by successive administrations, including hospitals under the Agenda 111 programme.
The Moderator welcomed the recent opening of the Weija Children’s Hospital, describing it as an encouraging development. At the same time, he expressed concern over other projects that remain incomplete, including the Afari Military Hospital.
He said the number of stalled hospital projects demonstrates that the healthcare infrastructure challenge requires a broader national response.
According to him, the situation is even more worrying outside Accra, where many communities lack adequate healthcare facilities and residents are sometimes forced to travel considerable distances to access medical care.
He contrasted this with Accra, where the concentration of private hospitals provides residents with more alternatives when public facilities are unavailable.
“When I travel out of Accra, I see communities. I see whole territories without any proper healthcare,” he said, questioning whether enough attention was being given to citizens living in such areas.
The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), he disclosed, has begun engaging the Ministry of Health over healthcare infrastructure and related concerns.
The Moderator urged the government to use the opportunity to prioritise projects that have already commenced and ensure that they are completed and put to use.
