Professor Ernest Yorke says an investigative committee should not pronounce “medical negligence” and urges referral to proper legal disciplinary processes.

Professor Ernest Yorke, President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), has expressed concern regarding the terminology and conclusions reached by the committee investigating the death of engineer Charles Amissah.. While the committee, led by Professor Agyemang Badu Akosa, attributed the 29-year-old’s death to a breakdown in emergency care and referral delays rather than his initial accident, Professor Yorke argued that the use of the term “medical negligence” was inappropriate for such a body.. Speaking on

Channel One TV’s The Point of View, Professor Yorke explained that investigative committees lack the judicial or quasi-judicial mandate required to pronounce individuals guilty.. He noted that such committees should limit their findings to a “reasonable belief” of wrongdoing and refer cases to appropriate authorities for deeper inquiry.. He emphasised that formal disciplinary processes, such as those overseen by the Medical and Dental Council, involve legal representation, witness cross-examination, and the right to appeal.. According

to Professor Yorke, it is only after these rigorous quasi-judicial proceedings that a definitive pronouncement of guilt and subsequent sanctions can be justly made.. He concluded that the presentation of the committee’s findings has unnecessarily intensified public debate and reaction.

Ghana Medical Association, Ernest Yorke, Charles Amissah death, medical negligence wording, emergency care referral delays, Medical and Dental Council