The Deputy Minister for Health and Member of Parliament for Essikadu-Ketan, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has described failures in Ghana’s emergency healthcare system as unacceptable, warning that delays and refusals of care are putting lives at risk.

Speaking during a JoyNews national dialogue on Ghana’s emergency care crisis on Thursday, April 2, Dr. Ayensu-Danquah said that incidents of delayed or denied care are not isolated and reflect deeper, systemic challenges.

“This is not the first time something like this has happened in Ghana. The issue has many tentacles,” she stated while referring to a case of a hit-and-run victim.

Dr. Ayensu-Danquah explained that emergency care should be understood in three stages, with pre-hospital care identified as the most critical for determining survival.

“I usually break it into three categories. The first is pre-hospital care, and it is even more important than hospital care itself,” she said, emphasising the importance of the golden hour — the first 60 minutes after a traumatic injury.

“Decisions we make within that first hour determine whether the person lives or dies. In many cases, key issues are missed during that golden hour.

“It starts with communication. How quickly is the information relayed? How soon does the ambulance arrive? Who is in the ambulance? There are different categories of staff — basic, intermediate, and advanced — and how they are configured matters,” she explained.

The Deputy Minister also criticised practices at some health facilities that prevent patients from receiving urgent care.

“There should be no reason why a patient is refused. No matter how they arrive — even on a bicycle or aboboyaa— they must be attended to,” she stressed.

“If a patient is bleeding to death and is not attended to, that is unacceptable in medicine,” she added.

Dr. Ayensu-Danquah underscored that emergency care must function as a seamless system, from the scene of an incident through to definitive care at hospitals.

“There should be no situation where a patient in critical condition is turned away. Emergency care must function effectively from the point of incident through to definitive care at the hospital,” she said.