Medical-legal claims against the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and health facilities have reached an estimated GH¢400 million over the past three years, raising concerns about the financial and reputational impact of legal disputes on Ghana’s healthcare system.
The claims relate to 173 cases recorded between 2023 and 2025, involving allegations of medical negligence, delayed or incorrect diagnosis, treatment and medication errors, inadequate informed consent, as well as injuries or deaths allegedly linked to substandard care.
The figures were disclosed by Dr Caroline Reindorf Amissah, Deputy Director-General of the GHS, at the opening of a five-day legal training programme for GHS legal officers in Accra.
Claims more than doubled in 2025
The number of cases increased steadily during the period under review.
Records show that 40 cases were recorded in 2023, rising to 44 in 2024 before jumping sharply to 89 cases in 2025.
Dr Amissah warned that if the trend continues, the financial burden on the health system could become significant while also damaging public confidence in healthcare institutions.
She said repeated medical-legal disputes could undermine the reputation of health facilities and contribute to growing public concerns about the quality of healthcare.
GHS calls for better patient communication
Dr Amissah, however, cautioned against assuming that every poor medical outcome amounts to negligence.
She noted that some referral hospitals receive patients whose conditions have already become severe because they sought medical attention late. Such outcomes, she said, should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of wrongdoing by healthcare professionals.
She therefore called for greater public education on the importance of seeking medical care early to reduce complications and improve treatment outcomes.
Healthcare workers were also urged to respect patients’ rights and properly explain proposed treatments and procedures.
According to Dr Amissah, where patients decline treatment after receiving adequate information about the risks and benefits, their decisions should be properly documented to protect both the patient and healthcare provider.
Focus should be on preventing avoidable cases
The GHS Deputy Director-General said the objective should not simply be to reduce the number of lawsuits.
Rather, the health service must identify and address preventable failures that lead to legitimate medical-legal claims.
With the number of cases more than doubling in 2025, the latest figures highlight the need for stronger communication between healthcare workers and patients, better documentation and continued efforts to improve the quality of care.
For Ghana’s health system, reducing avoidable medical disputes could not only save public funds but also help restore and strengthen public confidence in healthcare institutions.
Source: Citi Newsroom / GNA
