Nana Dadzie Ghansah, Cardiac Anesthesiologist and Associate at Commonwealth Anaesthesia, has called on the government to establish specialised polytrauma centres to handle severe multiple-injury cases and improve emergency response coordination.

His remarks follow the death of 29-year-old Charles Amissah, who was involved in a hit-and-run accident at the Circle Overpass in Accra on February 6, 2026.

Mr. Amissah, an engineer with Promasidor Ghana Limited, makers of Cowbell milk and other food products, was reportedly stabilised by Emergency Medical Technicians from the National Ambulance Service after the incident. However, he was allegedly refused admission by three major hospitals in Accra — Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, and Police Hospital — for nearly three hours due to a lack of bed space. He later died.

Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on The Point of View on Channel One  TV on Monday, February 23, 2026, Mr. Ghansah said Ghana’s emergency care system would benefit from clearly designated centres for specific medical emergencies.

“It would be good to have a centre for polytrauma, so the paramedics know where to take him exactly and immediately,” he said.

He explained that similar specialised centres could be created for heart attacks and strokes, poisoning cases, and obstetric emergencies to ensure patients are transported directly to facilities equipped to handle their specific conditions.

“You have a centre for obstetric care. So, you have a patient who you think is having an obstetric emergency, and you take them there immediately. But the most important thing is you need a brain, a brain for this system, what I call a command centre. And that is what it’s lacking as we try to improve. So, the command centre would take the case of this poor gentleman who passed,” he said.

According to him, the most critical component missing in the system is a central coordinating body.

“But the most important thing is you need a brain for this system, what I call a command centre. And that is what it’s lacking as we try to improve,” he stated.

Mr. Ghansah said under such a system, paramedics who identify a patient as a polytrauma case would immediately contact the command centre, which would then direct them to an appropriate facility capable of managing complex trauma cases within the critical window of one to two hours.

He noted that while ambulance services have seen improvements, establishing a functional command centre would significantly enhance emergency medical coordination nationwide.

“I think that is what the government should really, really concentrate on now,” he added.

Polytrauma refers to a person who has suffered multiple serious injuries simultaneously, usually affecting different parts of the body. It is a term commonly used in emergency and trauma medicine.