How Afadjato South MP was denied a hospital bed until staff learned he was an MP

The Member of Parliament for Afadjato South, Frank Afriyie, has recounted how he was initially denied a hospital bed after collapsing at home and being rushed to a health facility.

According to the legislator, medical staff only attended to him after his wife informed them that he was an MP, a situation he says highlights how the so-called “no-bed syndrome” can sometimes be applied discriminatorily.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on February 24, 2026, Afriyie narrated that he blacked out one dawn while preparing to appear on a television programme.

“One dawn, I woke up to prepare for a television show and an unknown to me, I went blackout. I was fortunate my son heard the extent to which I fell and moved from his room to come to our master bedroom and he managed to wake my wife up They lifted me to one of the foremost health facilities in this country.

“When we got there, my younger brother went in and drew their attention. They just told him, send him to another place. It took my wife to tell them that the man lying in there is an MP.

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“Then the rush in came. So, the kernel of this issue sometimes is the discrimination by these professionals. And the discrimination they offer tends to make you and I, Speaker, be victims before the general public,” he narrated.

The MP argued that beyond infrastructure challenges, discrimination by some health professionals may be contributing to public frustration with the healthcare system.

Afriyie also pointed to the overconcentration of health infrastructure in Accra as a major contributing factor to the pressure on facilities. According to him, many cases from other regions are referred to major hospitals in the capital, including the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC), leaving professionals overstretched.

@channel1tvgh

Afadjato South MP Frank Afriyie recounts being refused a hospital bed after he was rushed to a health facility. He said medical staff only attended to him after his wife informed them he was an MP, arguing that the “no-bed syndrome” is sometimes used in ways that discriminate against certain individuals. Watch here: https://youtu.be/DtwS2AlM-ao #ChannelOneNews #NoBedSyndrome #GhanaNews #ChannelOneTV

♬ original sound - Channel One TV

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