Mannseh Azuree has questioned the focus of the recent healthcare accountability debate in Ghana, arguing that disciplining medical doctors and nurses alone will not fix the country’s collapsing health system.
In a strongly worded commentary, the journalist challenged the recommendations of the Akosah Committee, asking whether enough attention is being paid to the deeper structural failures crippling healthcare delivery across the country.
According to him, while some health professionals may deserve sanctions for negligence, the broader crisis stems from chronic underinvestment, lack of equipment, overcrowded hospitals and weak primary healthcare systems.
Azuree cited the persistent “no-bed syndrome” and the poor state of major referral facilities such as Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, which he said continue to struggle with shortages of basic medical equipment despite serving thousands of patients daily.
He argued that many doctors and nurses are being overwhelmed by impossible working conditions, questioning how health workers are expected to cope when hospitals designed for 100 patients are forced to handle double that number without adequate staff or logistics.
The journalist further highlighted the unequal access to healthcare infrastructure in parts of the country, revealing that when his father required an MRI scan in 2023, the family had to transport him from the Upper East Region to Accra because northern Ghana reportedly lacked a single MRI machine at the time.
He questioned what becomes of patients who cannot afford such journeys, warning that many Ghanaians continue to die from preventable causes due to the state’s failure to invest adequately in healthcare.
Azuree also accused political leaders of prioritising public appeasement over long-term reforms whenever tragedies occur in hospitals, insisting that punishing frontline workers without addressing corruption, inadequate funding and poor infrastructure would not save lives.
He called on citizens to demand genuine reforms and accountability from leaders entrusted with resources meant for healthcare and other essential public services.
By: Bernard Mensah |Planbfmonline.com
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