Ellen Ama Daaku, spokesperson to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has strongly criticised what she describes as discriminatory practices within Ghana’s healthcare system, following reports that access to hospital beds may depend on a patient’s status rather than medical urgency.
Speaking with Lily Mohammed on GHToday on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Ama Daaku reacted to an incident in which a Member of Parliament was allegedly told there was no bed available at a hospital, only for one to become available after his wife identified him as an MP.
“So there was a bed there just because he’s an MP. If he was not an MP, he would have been just like I am,” she said.
She questioned whether ordinary citizens are being denied care simply because their identities or social standing are unknown to health workers.
“Is this how we want to treat ourselves just because you don’t know who the person is?” she asked. “Today it is Mr. and Mrs. Tomorrow it can be me.”
Ama Daaku described the situation as more than a matter of limited infrastructure or staffing shortages, arguing that it reflects a deeper societal problem.
“This is not just about we need staff at the hospital. Our hospitals need help, yes. But this is sheer inhumanity. There’s something wrong with our psyche as a nation,” she stated.
She also raised concerns about reports that an accident victim was turned away by major public hospitals before his eventual death, questioning whether the movement between facilities may have worsened his condition.
While welcoming reports that some personnel on duty had been interdicted, Ama Daaku insisted that investigations must extend to all facilities involved.
“No Ghanaian should die this way,” she stressed, urging authorities to treat the incident as a wake-up call to reform emergency healthcare systems and eliminate preferential treatment in the delivery of medical services.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh / Abigail Praise Pabai
