Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has urgently called for accountability following reports that a hit-and-run accident victim was allegedly denied emergency medical care by three major hospitals due to a lack of bed space.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on February 24, Mr. Ayariga described the incident as a stark illustration of critical failures in the national health system’s emergency response and called for immediate action to address deeper systemic issues.

Drawing on his personal experience, he emphasized the life-saving role of emergency services, saying,

“Speaker, I speak as somebody who was kept alive because the emergency ward of a hospital worked for me, and it must work for everybody, every citizen.”

He expressed disbelief that an accident victim could be transferred from hospital to hospital without receiving urgent care and noted that in other countries, such negligence would provoke widespread public outrage.

Mr. Ayariga framed the incident as symptomatic of a broader societal concern, citing

“indiscipline, the disregard for human life, the lack of fellow feeling, that we don’t see that this is a fellow Ghanaian.”

He asserted Parliament’s responsibility to ensure the matter does not fade without consequences, urging members to “get to the bottom of matters like this.”

Referencing a similar case in 2018, he questioned whether lessons had been learned and warned that failure to hold responsible parties accountable would perpetuate negligence.

“We want to see action this time. We want to see people held accountable so that the rest of the health personnel across the country will know that this Parliament will not sit idly by whilst people negligently lead to the loss of life,” he declared.

Although the government has announced a committee to investigate the matter, Mr. Ayariga called on Parliament’s Health Committee to actively monitor the process and submit its own findings to the House.

He insisted that Parliament must take “very drastic action” if it is not satisfied with the outcomes, emphasizing the constitutional duty to ensure public institutions, particularly health facilities, uphold their obligation to protect lives.

Concluding his address, Mr. Ayariga reminded the House of its fundamental duty to citizens:

“It is only then that citizens will know that when we converge here, we converge here for their very existence. We are here to defend their lives, to defend their rights, and to defend their interests.”