The Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Mark Kurt Nawaane, has urged medical professionals who feel unable to handle the demands of the profession to step aside, following findings from an investigation into the death of Charles Amissah.
“If you are a medical professional and you are tired of the work, you probably have to resign. I’m telling you,” he said, stressing the importance of ethics and professionalism in Ghana’s healthcare system.
Mr Nawaane made the comments after a three-member investigative committee, chaired by Agyeman Badu Akosah, presented its report to the Health Committee.
The report recommended disciplinary action against several health workers over alleged professional misconduct in the handling of Mr Amissah, who died following a medical emergency.
The Health Committee Chairman praised the committee for what he described as a more transparent investigation process, particularly for identifying individuals involved in the incident.
“Immediately we started and mentioned medical negligence and even started coming up with names, and I said thank God, this is a step forward,” he stated.
He said previous investigations often focused only on health facilities rather than individual responsibility, adding that the current approach marks an important step in addressing medical negligence.
“Now we are saying that it is beyond just a facility. It is the individuals,” he said.
Mr Nawaane also stressed that healthcare workers who choose to remain in the profession must work within ethical and professional standards.
According to him, medical practitioners are expected to follow proper referral procedures and seek help from senior colleagues when handling difficult cases.
“If you are ready to work, please, there are ethics. If you can’t do something, you call your colleague doctor, your senior doctor,” he said.
