The release of the Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa Committee report into the death of 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah has sparked intense public debate, particularly over the decision to publicly disclose the identities of doctors and nurses cited in the findings.
While some health professionals argue that naming the individuals was unnecessary and potentially harmful, others insist that public accountability must apply equally across all professions when negligence results in the loss of life.
The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, criticised the publication of the names of the health workers involved, arguing that the report could have referred only to categories of professionals without exposing individuals publicly.
Speaking after the committee chaired by Agyeman Badu Akosa submitted its findings on May 6, 2026, she maintained that accountability could still have been enforced through employers and regulatory bodies without publicly identifying the workers.
“In putting this information out to the public, I don’t think, and we don’t think, that it is necessary for all the names of these professionals to have been mentioned out there,” she said.
“At least, to say that the three doctors or to say that the three nurses or to say that the four doctors or whatever would have been ideal.”
According to her, the association is yet to fully study the report, but preliminary details circulating in the media have already raised concerns over the handling of sensitive information.
Ofori-Ampofo further warned that exposing young health professionals to public scrutiny and online backlash could have lasting emotional and psychological consequences, particularly within a healthcare system already facing difficult working conditions.
She also stressed that the tragedy reflects broader systemic failures within Ghana’s emergency healthcare delivery system and should not be treated solely as the fault of a few individuals.
However, a member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Communication Team and aide to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Ellen Ama Daaku, strongly disagreed with calls to shield the identities of the health workers.
Speaking on GTV’s Breakfast Show on May 8, 2026, Daaku argued that no profession should be exempt from public accountability when negligence contributes to the death of a patient.
“These doctors and nurses who were attending to him should have said to us what sort of system was so bad that they could not even listen to the ambulance personnel who said the gentleman was already on the stretcher. He was bleeding out. I do not agree with the doctors,” she stated.
Daaku questioned how Charles Amissah could allegedly be left without emergency intervention for nearly an hour despite being transported to three major health facilities.
“Everybody listening to us are all in professions. When something goes wrong in your profession, every one of us here is on it. Somebody has lost their life, and from what the National Ambulance Service is telling us, and from what the investigations are telling us, one hour, 60 minutes,” she said.
She further defended the naming of the doctors and nurses, arguing that public officials and professionals in other sectors are routinely identified when misconduct occurs.
“When politicians do things that we don’t like, don’t we name them? When policemen, soldiers, and teachers misbehave, don’t we name them? So why don’t they want to be named? We love the doctors, but we are not going to cover anybody up,” she said.
Daaku also noted that the committee gave the affected health workers the opportunity to defend themselves during the investigation, adding that one doctor was reportedly found to have provided false information to the committee.
The controversy follows the findings of the committee established by the Ministry of Health to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Charles Amissah, who was involved in a hit-and-run accident near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass on February 6, 2026.
According to the report, Amissah suffered a severe injury to his right arm and remained alive when ambulance personnel arrived at the scene. However, despite being taken to the Police Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge), and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, he reportedly did not receive timely emergency care, including bleeding control, intravenous fluids, or blood transfusion.
The committee concluded that he died from excessive blood loss caused by medical neglect, describing the incident as a preventable “slow death.” It subsequently recommended disciplinary action against several doctors and nurses connected to the case.
The report has since triggered nationwide discussions over professional accountability, emergency healthcare delivery, and the broader systemic challenges confronting Ghana’s health sector.