Death of 70-year-old man exposed ‘no-bed syndrome’ canker – Korle-Bu CEO

CEO for Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Samuel Asiamah said the tragic death of the 70-year-old man who passed away at the LEKMA hospital, due to lack of beds, led to the exposé of the “no bed syndrome’’ epidemic affecting various hospitals in the country.

During the inauguration of a new emergency unit at the hospital, he stressed that but not for the death of the old man which drew attention to the issue of the hazard, the hospital would not have acquired its new 65 bed capacity emergency centre.

70-year-old man, Prince Anthony Opoku Acheampong, reportedly died in his car at the LEKMA Hospital in Accra, after seven hospitals turned him away over claims that there were no beds.

His death sparked a public outcry about emergency response in the country’s healthcare system.

Following that unfortunate incident, the Ministry of Health directed hospitals not to turn away patients on the grounds that there were no beds.

According to Dr. Asiamah, Korle-Bu has been hard hit with the challenges of no beds to the extent that some patients who, visited the hospital to access health care, were asked to buy chairs to sit on before they were attended to by medical officers.

‘’The death of a 70-year-old who went through 7 health facilities and couldn’t get help actually highlighted the problem Korle-Bu has been battling with for over twenty years because we were once in a thirteen bed room’’. He said

He was hopeful that the newly constructed 65- bed capacity accident and emergency centre which was inaugurated by the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, today will help curb the issue and provide better health care for patients.