The Member of Parliament for Lambussie and Board Chairman of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof Titus Beyuo, has called for the establishment of an emergency command centre to transform Ghana’s healthcare response system.

Speaking on JoyNews AM Show on February 25, he described it as a practical and urgent solution to the persistent challenges facing emergency healthcare delivery in the country.

According to Prof. Beyuo, Ghana needs a fully integrated command centre that can be accessed by anyone, patients, doctors, bystanders, or first responders during a medical emergency.

“A real solution is to have an emergency command centre,” he stated. “Once you call an ambulance, it should be directly linked to that centre.”

He explained that under such a system, all hospital beds nationwide would be digitally mapped and barcoded, allowing officials to instantly determine availability. Data from hospitals would be updated hourly, giving the command centre real-time visibility of capacity across the country.

“This command centre would see the entire nation at a glance, all referral points in one snapshot,” he said. “That way, patients can be efficiently distributed to facilities that are ready and equipped to handle them.”

Prof. Beyuo illustrated the concept with a practical scenario: if a bystander reports a middle-aged woman lying unconscious and bleeding at a specific location, the command centre would immediately log critical details and automatically generate a list of appropriate facilities capable of providing urgent care.

He noted that currently, ambulance teams often face delays because they must first determine which hospital can receive a patient.

“As it stands, when you call an ambulance, they still need to find out where the patient can be taken,” he said. “If the minister’s vision materialises, that will become a thing of the past.”

Prof. Beyuo emphasised that a centralised emergency command system would not only reduce delays but also save lives by ensuring faster coordination, better resource allocation, and seamless communication across Ghana’s healthcare network.

His comments come over the death of 29-year-old Charles Amissah, an engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited, who sustained severe shoulder injuries in a hit-and-run accident at the Circle Overpass in Accra in February.

Reports indicate that Amissah was unable to secure admission at the Police Hospital, Ridge Hospital, and Korle Bu due to a lack of available beds. While at Korle Bu, he reportedly went into cardiac arrest.