The Ghana Health Service has called for collaboration among stakeholders to address persistent challenges in healthcare delivery, including the “no bed syndrome” and worsening maternal mortality in the Greater Accra Region.
The Acting Regional Director of Health Services, Greater Accra Region Dr Robert Amesiya, said although the region remained the most resourced in terms of health facilities, it continued to grapple with serious systemic challenges.
“Our region is the most populated and cosmopolitan, with diverse health needs… but having facilities alone does not give you the answers,” he said.
Dr. Amesiya said this at the opening of the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate (GARHD) 2025 Annual Performance Review Meeting in Accra on Tuesday, March 16.
It was on the theme: “Improving Performance and Health Outcomes through Partnerships and Excellence in Health Service Delivery.”
He highlighted growing public concern about emergency healthcare access, particularly the “no bed syndrome,” where critically ill patients were referred from one facility to another due to a lack of space.
“The public has repeatedly expressed concern about how difficult it is to access healthcare, especially in times of emergency,” he noted, referencing recent incidents of “no bed” that drew national attention.
Dr. Ameseya stressed the need to improve coordination among health facilities, expand emergency care capacity, and ensure road users gave way to ambulances.
“We need to improve our coordination between facilities and expand emergency care capacity… so that every patient requiring emergency care receives it,” he said.
A major concern also raised at the meeting was the rising rate of maternal and perinatal deaths in the region.
Dr. Amesiya revealed that maternal mortality indicators had deteriorated between 2024 and 2025.
“Our maternal and perinatal mortalities are not improving; in fact, they are worsening,” he said, noting that despite the concentration of major hospitals in the region, outcomes remained troubling.
To address the challenge, he said the Directorate had introduced a “zonal concept” dividing the region into six zones to review maternal deaths, conduct audits, and develop targeted interventions.
“These zones provide platforms for systematic audits… to identify systemic gaps and disseminate lessons learned to improve quality of care,” he explained.
As we deliberate, we must commit to innovative, practical, and collaborative solutions that ensure no woman loses her life while giving life,” Dr Amesiya said.
Supporting the call, Dr Caroline Elizabeth Randolph-Emissah, the Acting Deputy Director-General, GHS, underscored the need for technological innovation to address the challenge.
“In this day of technology, can we not sit somewhere and just look at the screen and see which facility has a bed?” She asked, proposing a real-time digital dashboard to guide ambulance services.
“Why should ambulance services be driving around looking for beds? We need to move away from this firefighting approach,” she added.
Dr Randolph-Emissah emphasised that strengthening Ghana’s health system required more than infrastructure, pointing instead to people, systems, and partnerships.
“Health service delivery is not merely about infrastructure or equipment… but about the people and the systems we build,” she said.
She called for stronger public-private partnerships, improved data sharing, and enhanced community engagement to drive better outcomes.
On workforce challenges, she noted that poor accommodation and conditions of service were affecting staff retention.
“You don’t expect them to deliver if they have nowhere to stay… we need to find ways of retaining our staff,” she said.
Madam Linda Akweley Ocloo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, expressed concern over the increasing reports of medical negligence and declining public confidence in the health system.
“Daily we have complaints about medical negligence,” she said, recounting a personal loss linked to healthcare delivery.
She cited the misuse of ambulance services, where vehicles meant for emergencies were allegedly used for non-medical purposes, undermining public trust.
“We must ensure that public resources are used effectively and transparently,” she said.
Ghana’s health sector has made progress in areas such as immunisation, disease surveillance, and primary healthcare expansion. However, persistent issues like emergency care bottlenecks and maternal mortality continue to challenge the system.
According to global health data, timely access to emergency care and skilled birth attendance are critical determinants of survival, underscoring the urgency of reforms discussed at the meeting.
The speakers collectively called for a multi-sectoral approach involving the government, private providers, traditional authorities, and communities.
The meeting is expected to produce actionable recommendations to guide healthcare planning and improve service delivery across the region in the coming year.
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