The Ghana Police Hospital has received a major boost in its care for unidentified and vulnerable patients, following the construction of a new eight-bed facility funded by businessman and philanthropist Alhaji Seidu Agongo.

The facility aims to ease a long-standing burden on the hospital, which daily receives "unknown" persons and individuals brought to the hospital without traceable relatives, often destitute, mentally ill, or victims of road accidents.

Speaking at the inauguration of the facility, Assistant Commissioner of Police and Pathologist of the Ghana Police Service, Dr Osei Owusu-Afriyie, expressed excitement for the new facility.

“We are very excited today because we’ve always had the challenge of unknown persons. Alhaji Seidu Agongo has been extremely helpful to us,” he said.

Dr Owusu-Afriyie explained that the hospital has struggled for years with where to keep such patients, often relying heavily on its limited internal funds.

“We’ve had to use our internally generated funds, sometimes running into over one million cedis every year for those who are alive, and close to GH₵500,000 a year for deceased persons,” he said.

According to him, these unknown persons are usually victims of accidents, sudden illness, or mental health challenges, many of whom are picked up by the police during patrols.

“Once the police control room is called, officers go in, pick them up, and the first point of call is the Ghana Police Hospital. If they are deceased, they are brought to our morgue, and we go through the legal process before burial.”

He described the commissioning of the new ward as a timely intervention. “This serves as a good day for us. We are also happy that we are all alive as 2025 comes to an end,” he said, encouraging others to support similar causes.

“Anybody who is grateful for the gift of life should also come and contribute to these unfortunate ones.”

Dr Owusu-Afriyie revealed that the hospital receives such cases daily. “In the morgue alone, we receive close to five cases every day. The same thing happens in our emergency unit,” he said.

He explained that the new structure is an eight-bed ward attached to the emergency department. “Once they go through the emergency process, this ward is strictly for unknown persons. Some come in very ill, and it takes time before they are stabilised.”

On recovery, he said that discharge is often difficult. “Some have fully recovered but have been here for close to three years. Sometimes announcements are made, and relatives come to identify them, but many remain unclaimed.”

He appealed to the public for help, saying, “If you have a relative who has been missing for a while, the person may be here. Come around, speak to the administration and help identify them,” he urged.

Medical Director of the Police Hospital, Dr Otu Nyarko, also welcomed the new facility, describing space for unknown patients as one of the hospital’s most urgent challenges.

“We had only 11 beds in the emergency department, and there were times all of them were occupied by such people. When other emergencies came, we had to refer patients elsewhere, not because we couldn’t handle them, but because there was simply no space.”

He said the new ward has now freed up space at the emergency unit. “We can now attend to serious emergencies without neglecting people who are chronically ill or mentally deranged, whom we do not know,” he explained.

Dr Nyarko also appealed for support to complete an administrative block at the morgue. “When people come to pick up their loved ones and see several bodies, some faint. We need a proper space for counselling and administration,” he said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Alhaji Seidu Agongo said the project was driven by selfless service and faith, not personal gain.

Read also: Seidu Agongo builds lifeline facility for Ghana Police Hospital’s ‘Unknown Patients’

“Today is the most happiest day of my life because I’m serving humanity. I’m serving the unknown. We are all potentially unknown.”

“It’s only when you serve without expecting anything that grace opens doors. We human beings are limited. I don’t even control my heartbeat,” he added.

He explained that the idea came after he was contacted about the plight of unidentified patients. “I was called about the plight of the unknown, and I said, it’s doable. I didn’t know where the money would come from, but belief will make it work,” he said.

Alhaji Agongo pledged continued support for the Police Service. “When I’m capable and able, I’ll help. I’m not doing this expecting anything in return,” he said.

He also urged businessmen to look beyond profit. “Life, short-term, is to look for money. Long-term is to look for grace. Anybody, on any day, can become unknown.”

The facility was officially commissioned by the Director-General of the Ghana Police Service in charge of Operations, who assured that the Police Administration would continue to resource the hospital.

“It is my honour to officially commission this facility. It reflects our commitment to provide compassionate, high-quality care to all patients, regardless of their background or circumstances,” he said.