PAC’s Directive to Korle Bu: The Case for Patient Safety, Accountability, and Reform

Turning Point Foundation expresses deep concern over the recent directive by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) requiring the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Yakubu Seidu Adam, to refund GH¢113,000 to the state. This directive follows the hospital’s failure to recover judgment debts arising from two avoidable incidents: the loss of a patient’s life through medication overdose and the distressing mishandling of mortal remains.

While the PAC’s firm position underscores the importance of accountability in public institutions, these events are symptomatic of more profound and systemic challenges within Ghana’s health sector. They highlight the urgent need for reforms that prioritize patient safety, strengthen administrative diligence, and protect already strained public health resources.

Medical errors and administrative lapses, such as those reported at Korle Bu, are not isolated occurrences but reflections of deeper structural weaknesses. Patient safety remains at risk in an overstretched system. According to the World Health Organization, medical errors are a leading cause of mortality globally, and the burden is heaviest in low- and middle-income countries. In Ghana, a doctor-to-patient ratio of about 1 to 8,000, far below the WHO recommendation of 1 to 1,000, creates conditions where fatigue and inadequate oversight make errors more likely.

Administrative oversights, including poor record-keeping and weak supervision, also undermine hospital operations. The Auditor-General’s 2022 report revealed irregularities across public institutions amounting to over GH¢17 billion, much of it linked to ineffective accountability mechanisms. The financial impact is particularly alarming in the health sector, where judgment debts and losses compound the challenges already created by delayed NHIS reimbursements and limited operational resources.

To prevent the recurrence of such costly lapses, Turning Point Foundation emphasizes the need to institutionalize patient safety through mandatory professional development on clinical and administrative standards, along with the creation of a national system to report and track medical errors and near-misses. Accountability frameworks must be strengthened so that negligence is traced directly to responsible officers, supported by clear policy and legal guidelines for the recovery of lost funds. Ghana must also invest more intentionally in its health workforce by recruiting and retaining professionals to reduce dangerous workload ratios, while offering psychosocial and workload support to mitigate burnout.

Technology has a vital role to play in preventing errors and improving efficiency. Expanding electronic health record systems can help eliminate prescribing mistakes and strengthen patient identification. Likewise, introducing biometric identification systems in mortuary services would prevent the tragic mishandling of remains. At the policy level, reforms are urgently needed to accelerate NHIS reimbursements and to establish transparent frameworks for handling negligence cases, with clear timelines and direct oversight by the PAC.

The PAC’s directive to Korle Bu must serve as more than a financial enforcement measure. It should be a wake-up call to address the systemic fragilities that compromise patient care, undermine public trust, and drain already scarce resources. Ghana cannot continue to lose lives and public funds to preventable errors. Protecting patients, safeguarding the dignity of families, and ensuring prudent use of state resources must stand at the core of our health system reforms.

Turning Point Foundation reaffirms that all stakeholders must work together to build a healthcare system grounded in patient safety, accountability, and respect for human dignity. To do otherwise is to deny the Ghanaian people the justice, equity, and protection they rightfully deserve.