The GMA must not only be interested in releasing statements protecting their workers – Hamza Suhuyini
Hamza Suhuyini, a member of the opposition NDC Communications Team, has called on the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to go beyond defending its members and take greater responsibility for patient care and the overall hospital experience in Ghana.
According to him, the GMA must not restrict its role to issuing statements only when healthcare workers come under attack, but should also focus on reconciling the relationship between patients and health professionals.
“The GMA must not only be interested in releasing statements protecting their workers, the time has come for the Ghana Medical Association to be responsive, not only to the needs of their practitioners but also to clients and users of our hospitals. Inherent in their objectives is a responsibility to protect patients as well,” he said.
He noted that, while Ghana’s health facilities often lack resources, part of the frustration patients and their relatives face stems from poor communication and attitude from some health professionals.
“You go to the hospital with your relative already in distress, and no one is ready to engage you. Sometimes, you don’t even know who to speak to. Under normal circumstances, you may not know the theatre is full or that certain facilities are unavailable. Yet the frustration is vented on the system because there is no communication,” he lamented.
Speaking on Channel One’s Breakfast Daily show on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, following the reported attack on a nurse at Ridge Hospital, Suhuyini stressed that health workers are trained to handle such situations with empathy, but in practice, many patients and their families are left feeling ignored.
He urged the GMA to encourage its members to show a human facein their interactions with the public.
“Sometimes it doesn’t take much. A simple explanation like, ‘My brother, the theatre is full, and we can’t do anything about it. We empathize with you, but kindly move to another hospital,’ would make a difference. Instead, most of the time, you are just told to go and sit down, and nobody comes to explain,” he said.
He further urged the GMA to be proactive in highlighting systemic challenges in the health sector, such as poorly resourced emergency units, rather than reacting only when crises occur.
“If Ridge Hospital lacks certain facilities in its emergency unit, the GMA must state it publicly. If government is not listening to them, they must let us, the citizens, know.
We all have a collective responsibility to ensure governments respond to these problems. They must not wait to respond only to the consequences of bad policies,” Suhuyini added.
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