More patients sue health facilities

She consequently outlined five priority measures for the legal officers going forward as strengthening medical documentation; ensuring genuine informed consent and respect for patient rights; enforcing due process in staff disciplinary proceedings; strengthening cooperation with the Attorney-General’s Office, including prompt action on the 30-day statutory notice period for suits against the state; and shifting from reactive to preventive lawyering by embedding legal officers directly in regional and facility-level decision-making.

The Deputy Director-General further referenced concerns previously raised by the Office of the Attorney-General over rising medical negligence and malpractice cases, warning that eroded public trust could cause patients to delay seeking care and push health workers towards overly defensive practice.

Speaking at the opening of a week-long Structured Legal Education Programme for Legal Officers in Accra, the Deputy Director-General of the GHS, Dr Caroline Reindorf-Amissah, said the trend threatened not only public funds but also public confidence in the health system.