Untimely deaths caused by medical professionals in Ghana

By Reverend John Salako
UPDATE: Errors and omissions corrected #Friday#28/08/26

This News briefing is not written to denigrate the medical professionals in Ghana. It is not based upon a figment of my imagination. It is not an anonymous Case study grounded upon some spurious Desk Research of dubious authenticity. The facts contained herein cannot be controverted in any way whatsoever.
     Yet, when the facts were presented to the Senior Management team of 8 professionals,  measures were put in place to harm me, the aggrieved, as if one was being frivolous or vexatious or both.

Greater Accra Regional Hospital

 The subject of this News briefing is  Greater Accra Regional Hospital, aka Ridge Hospital. It is a Public Hospital, which means that it is a Government institution and it exists for Public Benefit.

I am not! a stranger to Ridge Hospital.  In 2023, I received treatment there for UTI in its Urology Department. However, professionalism and experience  have taken a dive to below 35%.  Most of the new recruits lack what it takes to be a Doctor.
     But one can as well examine the prevailing circumstances, with specific reference to untimely deaths from the spiritual realm.  Many African countries are not at peace with modern Ghana.  They are fully aware of the shame, humiliation and degredation, in the form of human trafficking brought upon the Continent by the Elders of the old Gold Coast.  But then, those Elders were into slavery and slave trade Decades before 1482, the year they invited the Portuguese to the West Coast, for the commencement of trade in human misery.  

Wrong prognoses and misdiagnoses 

Notwithstandingm that Ridge Hospital is a flagship medical centre in Ghana today, you will not find a politician turned government minister, a civil servant turned ambassador, a member of Ghana Parliament turned Board member of an international! consortium,  a CEO of a Corporation, in any of its clinics, for the purpose of  receiving medical treatment. Instead, persons of class and position in Ghana today would rather travel to the Western world for medical treatment. 


Scenario situations that cause concerns

     Technology, human frailty and, paucity of learning, are at the root of untimely deaths in Ghana's flagship medical intitution. At a huge expense borne by me, I underwent Laboratory tests, as in PSA, X-ray, abdominal scan, ECG, and FBC, on 3/4/5 different occasions. The results often left me gasping for breath, inasmuch as they indicated damaged kidney, liver, kidney transplant. In other cases, x-rays didn't disclose the cause of the excruciating pain in my left side or my right side. 
     When I complained to the Senior Management, all hell broke lose. I was threatened with dire consequences. MTN was ordered to disconnect my line so that I could no longer make phone calls. If I tried calling anyone, MTN system would play a prerecorded message "This service is unavailable to you."  A female from the Administration threatened me with death

Law firms declined my request for help

I approached three Law Firms in Accra but, one by one they declined my request upon the ground that, Ridge Hospital is a flagship Ghana government medical centre, and so therefore, no Lawyer in Ghana will take on that Hospital. I couldn't believe my ears. 
     But in Ghana medical negligence or malpractice is governed by the Common Law principles of duty of care, breach and causation. The Lawyers that I approached didn't want to hear those points. However, the Courts have established a legal framework for misdiagnoses, wrong prignoses, and treatment. They apply what is known as Bolam principle. This framework was formally adopted in Gyan v. Ashamti Goldfields Corporation.

Ghana Ministry of Health 2026 Budget 

The Ministry of Health was allocated huge sums of money in the 2026 Budget. For example, a staggering sum of 16.25 bn cedis is allocated for employees'compensation; 4.51 bn cedis for goods and services; 2.04 bn cedis for capital expenfiture; 11 bn cedis for NHIS. Not even 1 pesewa is allocated for medical malpractice or negligence.

Yet, the Minister of Health described the 2026 budget as "the most people-focused and health-centred budget".

IN CONCLUSION, diseases or viruses or sicknesses seldom kill people in Ghana but medical malpractice occasioned by paucity of learning does, with impunity. It is my belief that this matter should be raised in the UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, and at any gatherings of the WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, IMF and, WORLD BANK

©Reverend John Salako
Officiating Chief Minister 
Open Door Temple Theological Seminary
Nigeria and Ghana (2026