Parliament Health Committee Chair Urges Doctors to Resign if Unable to Handle Duty Demands

The Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, has advised medical professionals who feel overwhelmed or unable to cope with the demands of their work to resign, rather than compromise patient safety and healthcare standards.

His remarks follow findings from an investigative committee chaired by pathologist Agyeman Badu Akosa into the death of Charles Amissah, which concluded that the victim died due to medical neglect rather than injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident.

Speaking during an engagement with the committee, Dr. Nawaane stressed that improving healthcare delivery depends not only on infrastructure and equipment but also on individual responsibility and professional ethics.

“We are saying that it is beyond just the facilities; it is the individuals. Please, if you are a medical professional and you are tired of the work, you can resign. Ghana will survive,” he said.

He added that healthcare workers have a duty to adhere to professional ethics and should seek assistance when confronted with cases beyond their expertise.

“If you are ready to work, there are ethics. If you can’t do something, you call your colleague doctor or senior doctor. One funny thing about the senior doctors is that they are always happy to be called,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Prof. Akosa urged government authorities to ensure the committee’s recommendations are fully implemented, warning against a recurrence of past situations where investigative reports were left unacted upon.

He stressed that similar incidents have previously occurred, with findings often “collecting dust” instead of being enforced.

“We believe that this is not the first time an event like this has happened. Committee reports were done and the reports collected dust. We want to ensure that this report does not collect dust but is acted upon,” he said.