The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) says it cannot yet discipline nurses implicated in the death of engineer Charles Amissah because it has still not received the official investigative report from the Ministry of Health.
Registrar Mrs Philomina Woolley confirmed that, although the Ministry has written to the Council instructing it to sanction the nurses cited for allegedly refusing Amissah medical care, the N&MC is unable to proceed without the full findings of the committee that probed the case.
She explained that the Council has formally asked the Ministry to provide the document but is yet to receive a response.
“We received the letter from the Ministry of Health to sanction the nurses. However, we cannot sanction the nurses without reports from the committee, so we wrote back to the Ministry of Health to furnish us with the reports, and that is where we are. We are yet to receive a response from them,” Mrs Woolley said.
Her comments came during a visit to the N&MC by Parliament’s Health Committee, which is overseeing follow-up actions after the inquiry into Amissah’s death.
Parliamentary committee expects report to be released soon
Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Mr Kurt Mark Nawaane, sought to reassure the regulator that the report would be transmitted to it shortly.
“The committee’s report is with the Ministry of Health. It’s being assessed. There’s a referral to them. And very soon, the document will get to them. The last time I was with the Medical and Dental Council, they had received it. So, I’m hoping that within a matter of time, the one involving the nurses will also be received. We believe that in the shortest possible time, it will get here,” Mr Nawaane said.
Until the N&MC receives the full report, it cannot begin formal disciplinary processes against the nurses named in the findings.
Inquiry findings on doctors and nurses
The investigation into the death of Amissah – a 29-year-old engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited and a hit-and-run victim – was conducted by a committee chaired by Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa.
On 6 May 2026, the committee presented its report, concluding that four medical doctors and three nurses from Police Hospital, Ridge Hospital and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital had failed to discharge their ethical and professional responsibilities, contributing to Amissah’s death.
The doctors cited are Dr (Med) Anne-Marie Kudowor of Police Hospital, Dr (Med) Nina Naomi Eyram of Ridge Hospital, and Dr (Med) Ida Druant and Dr (Med) Genevieve Adjar, both of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The nurses named are Miss Akosua B. Turkson of Ridge Hospital, Miss Joy Daisy Nelson of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and Miss Salamatu Alhassan Aidoo, also of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The committee recommended that Dr Anne-Marie Kudowor be referred to the Police Hospital and the Medical and Dental Council (MDC) for disciplinary proceedings over alleged misconduct and for reportedly giving untruthful evidence to the inquiry.
It further advised that Dr Nina Naomi Eyram Adotevi be referred to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the MDC, while Dr Ida Druant and Dr Genevieve Adjar should face disciplinary action at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and before the MDC for similar alleged breaches.
On the nursing side, the committee proposed that Miss Akosua B. Turkson and Miss Joy Daisy Nelson be referred both to the management of their respective hospitals and to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for disciplinary action. It also recommended that Miss Salamatu Alhassan Aidoo be sent to her institution’s management and the NMC for similar sanctions.
Call for wider emergency care reforms
Beyond individual culpability, the committee used its report to press for sweeping reforms to Ghana’s emergency care system.
It urged the creation of a National Electronic Emergency Bed Management System, designed to coordinate emergency referrals and provide real-time information on bed availability nationwide.
The committee also said all patients arriving with emergency conditions should be triaged as a matter of obligation, ensuring they are assessed and prioritised quickly even when facilities are under pressure.
It further recommended that the Ghana Armed Forces Critical Care and Emergency Hospital be fully integrated into the national emergency response framework, broadening access to intensive and specialist care.
In addition, it proposed establishing a national emergency care fund to cover the first 24 hours of treatment at both public and private health facilities, aiming to remove financial barriers to urgent care in critical cases such as that of Amissah.
