The Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) has called for the urgent formulation and implementation of a comprehensive national emergency care policy, to ensure timely and equitable access to life-saving services across the country.

The Association said the safety and preservation of human life must remain the foremost priority of Ghana’s health system, particularly in the wake of renewed public concerns over delays in emergency care and the persistent “No Bed Syndrome.”

In a press release dated February 24 and signed by Dr Eric Kofi Aidoo, the President, and Dr Solomon Kwashie, its General Secretary, GAMLS acknowledged the critical role of health professionals across the continuum of care and stressed the need for high standards of professional accountability.

It stated that while investigations into alleged lapses in emergency care were necessary, such processes must be evidence-based and consider the broader systemic and policy environment within which healthcare workers operate.

The Association noted that in many health facilities, patients presenting with emergency or accident-related conditions are often required to make payments before receiving critical services, including consultation, admission deposits and laboratory investigations.

GAMLS said in life-threatening situations where minutes can determine survival, such financial requirements may delay care and put patients at risk.

It added that certain administrative and financial policies in some facilities prevent health professionals from providing emergency laboratory and diagnostic services until payment processes are initiated.

GAMLS therefore advocated a structured national framework that guarantees immediate care for all emergency cases without upfront payment.

It said such coverage should include accident and trauma care, obstetric and neonatal emergencies, acute medical crises such as stroke and cardiac events, as well as emergency laboratory and diagnostic services.

The Association called for a clear national directive to ensure that no patient in a life-threatening condition was denied or delayed, care because of inability to pay at the point of service.

To sustain health facilities under such a framework, GAMLS recommended strengthened emergency coverage under the National Health Insurance Scheme, the establishment of a dedicated national emergency care fund, timely reimbursement of claims and increased budgetary support for high-burden emergency centres.

On accountability, the Association stressed that reviews of adverse emergency events must examine institutional policies, resource constraints, workload pressures, infrastructure gaps and referral challenges, and avoid premature attribution of blame to individual practitioners where systemic failures are contributory factors.

GAMLS further observed that the “No Bed Syndrome” reflected deeper capacity challenges within the health system, including overcrowding, limited emergency units, inadequate laboratory capacity and insufficient critical care infrastructure.

It called for a strategic national expansion of emergency and acute care services, particularly in major urban centres, alongside investments in modern diagnostic and laboratory infrastructure, expansion of bed capacity, recruitment and training of emergency care professionals and strengthening of ambulance and referral systems.

The Association said access to emergency medical care was a fundamental component of the right to health and urged the development of standardised emergency response protocols, mandatory triage and stabilization prior to financial clearance and clear turnaround times for emergency laboratory services.

GAMLS reaffirmed its commitment to working with government, regulators and healthcare institutions to strengthen Ghana’s emergency care system.

It said protecting patient lives required both professional accountability and urgent reform of systemic barriers that delay emergency treatment, describing a comprehensive national emergency care policy as imperative for patient safety and health system resilience.