Medical-legal claims against the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and health facilities have been estimated at about GH¢400 million over the past three years.

The claims were linked to 173 cases recorded between 2023 and 2025. They involved allegations of medical negligence, wrong or delayed diagnosis, treatment or medication errors, inadequate informed consent, and injury or death allegedly resulting from substandard care.

Dr Caroline Reindorf Amissah, Deputy Director-General of the GHS, disclosed this at the opening of a five-day structured legal training programme for legal officers of the GHS in Accra.

She said the number of cases rose sharply from 40 in 2023 to 44 in 2024 and 89 in 2025, posing significant financial and reputational risks to healthcare delivery.

“If this trend continues the financial burden could become significant, while also undermining public confidence in the health system, she said.

Speaking on the theme, “Medicolegal Cases: The Bane of Healthcare Delivery in Ghana,” Dr Amissah said recurring medical-legal disputes could damage the reputation of health institutions and erode public trust.

She said some referral hospitals were increasingly perceived by sections of the public as “death traps” because they frequently received patients with severe conditions.

Dr Amissah said deaths or poor outcomes at such facilities did not necessarily indicate negligence, noting that some patients reported to tertiary facilities only after their conditions had significantly deteriorated.

She called for greater public education on the importance of seeking healthcare early to prevent complications and improve treatment outcomes.

Dr Amissah urged healthcare workers to respect patients’ rights and ensure that proposed treatments and procedures were properly explained to them.

She said where patients declined treatment after being adequately informed of the risks and benefits, their decisions should be properly documented to protect both patients and healthcare providers.

Dr Amissah said the objective of the GHS should not simply be to reduce the number of lawsuits but to identify and address preventable failures that resulted in legitimate claims against the Service.

Mr Zanu Dassah, Head of Legal at the GHS, said the training formed part of efforts to address the increasing number of medical-legal cases recorded in health facilities.

He said the Service was developing guidelines for implementation across the health system to ensure a proactive approach to medical-legal issues.

“We need to be proactive and ensure that we have proper medical-legal surveillance in the system,” he said.

Dr Gina Teddy, a member of the GHS Council, said healthcare delivery was no longer solely a clinical responsibility.

She said health institutions were also required to comply with legal and ethical standards, governance structures and administrative procedures.

Dr Teddy said growing patient awareness had significantly changed the relationship between healthcare providers and patients.

“Patients are no more passive. They are no more just consumers; they are empowered,” she said.

Dr Teddy said many patients now researched their conditions before visiting health facilities, making it increasingly important for healthcare

institutions and professionals to understand and uphold patients’ rights.

She said the training would strengthen the capacity of legal officers to identify and manage medical-legal risks before they developed into disputes.