GMA Raises Concerns Over Naming of Doctors in Charles Amissah Death Report

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has expressed strong concern over the handling of the investigative report into the death of Charles Amissah, warning that the public naming of medical professionals has exposed them to hostility, threats, and personal risk.

The Association’s reaction follows a directive by the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, instructing disciplinary action against health workers implicated in the case after the submission of a committee report into the incident.

Speaking on Citi News on Thursday, May 7, GMA President Ernest Yorke described the decision to publicly identify the doctors as unfortunate, noting that it has triggered widespread backlash against the individuals involved and shifted attention away from broader systemic gaps in Ghana’s emergency care system.

He said some of the named health professionals are already facing threats, online harassment, and distressing messages, which he warned is affecting their safety, mental health, and professional wellbeing.

“…It has implications for their practice, their mental health, and others. And that is why we are saying even if they’ve done wrong, there are better ways of handling this without necessarily having to put them [out],” he said.

The GMA argued that alternative disciplinary mechanisms exist, noting that in many legal and professional systems, identities are protected until investigations and due processes are completed to avoid undue harm.

While reaffirming its commitment to accountability in the health sector, the Association stressed that corrective measures must balance transparency with protection for healthcare workers, especially those operating under high-pressure clinical conditions.

The controversy stems from a committee report which found that 29-year-old engineer Charles Amissah died from medical neglect rather than injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident, after what it described as failures in emergency care across multiple hospitals.

Health professionals named in the report and expected to face disciplinary action include Dr Anne-Marie Kudowor of the Police Hospital, Dr Nina Naomi Eyram Adotevi of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, and Dr Ida Druant and Dr (Med) Genevieve Adjar of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, along with other nursing and regulatory staff cited in the findings.