American-Ghanaian comedian Michael Blackson has criticised the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) following the death of his mother at the facility, alleging misdiagnosis, poor patient care and excessive charges.

In a lengthy post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Michael Blackson described UGMC as “the worst hospital in Ghana,” claiming that medical staff repeatedly failed to properly diagnose his mother’s condition and prioritised money over patient welfare.

“To the University of Ghana Medical Centre where my mom suffered the last month of her life, I’ll like to tell you in my opinion that you are the worst hospital in Ghana. Your staff, meaning nurses and doctors, have no clue what they are doing and the only thing your hospital cares about is collecting money,” he wrote.

According to him, the hospital missed his mother’s diagnosis on several occasions while recommending what he described as expensive treatments.

“This University of Ghana Medical Centre misdiagnosed my mom so many times but also recommended the most expensive treatments to make sure they sucked enough money out of me,” he alleged.

Michael Blackson also criticised the attitude of some staff, claiming they showed little sympathy towards patients and their families.

“The University of Ghana Medical Centre is kinda new and looks beautiful from the outside, but inside are not the best medical personnel. In my opinion, the staff have no sympathy and don’t give a damn about the patients,” he stated.

He further alleged that his sister had a physical altercation with a male nurse at the facility and that the nurse later involved the police while the family was at the hospital identifying his mother’s body.

“My sister even had a physical altercation with one of the male nurses and this [person] called the police a week later while we were there identifying my mom’s body,” he said.

The comedian claimed that several people he spoke to after his mother’s death also told him they had lost loved ones at the facility.

“When I told a few people where she died, they all told me they lost their loved ones there. University of Ghana Medical Centre and all our African hospitals need to find a place in their hearts to put people’s lives ahead of money,” he wrote.

Michael Blackson said the hospital contacted him repeatedly when payments were due but claimed doctors did not similarly communicate with him about his mother’s condition.

“University of Ghana Medical Centre called me every time payment was due, but the doctors never once called me to tell me how my mom was doing,” he stated.

He alleged that the family spent about GH¢250,000 on his mother’s treatment within a month before they were informed that she had contracted an infection and died.

“In one month they collected about 250k cedis and then told me she caught an infection and died. When she died they called me to tell me I had a balance I had to settle before they could tell me the cause of death,” he alleged.

He also claimed that the family considered transferring his mother from the facility but was later told that she could not be moved because she was having difficulty breathing and required tubes.

“I realised after two weeks at that hospital we wanted to take my mom out and as soon as we told them that and they knew they were about to miss out on some money, they told us she couldn’t breathe and she needed tubes installed in her so she can’t be moved,” he wrote.

Michael Blackson said he would have liked to take legal action over what he described as the hospital’s “missed diagnoses” but expressed doubts about the effectiveness and speed of pursuing such a case in Ghana.

“I could go on and on about the University of Ghana Medical Centre and would love to sue them for the few missed diagnoses, but it’s in Ghana so I’ll be wasting my time because by the time I see a judge I’m sure I’ll be in my early 90s.”

He further advised Ghanaians living abroad who plan to return home after retirement to consider travelling to Europe or the United States for regular medical check-ups.

“Our country is beautiful and all parents love to move back home after they retire abroad, but my best suggestion is for them to fly out to Europe or America at least once a year for their yearly medical check-up.”

Concluding his post, Michael Blackson accused UGMC of prioritising revenue generation over patient care.