Fellow Nurses Africa | Lagos, Nigeria | 21 January, 2026
A Nigerian woman, identified in investigative reports as Perfect (name changed for privacy), travelled from Nigeria to Ghana with her brother for specialised brain surgery at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital).
According to published investigations, the family was initially told that required neurosurgical consumables would cost GH₵7,000. However, when Perfect went to Axis Pharmacy, a facility reportedly linked to referrals from Ridge Hospital, the bill was allegedly charged in US dollars, $7,000 instead.
The difference was staggering: what should have cost thousands of cedis reportedly ballooned into a sum equivalent to over GH₵100,000 at prevailing exchange rates.
Perfect reportedly protested the charge but was told the payment was necessary for the surgery to proceeded.
A Medical Journey That Ended in Death
The surgery went ahead. After the procedure, Perfect’s brother was placed on a ventilator. He later died in Ghana, with doctors reportedly telling the family that an infection developed during or after surgery.
The family, financially drained by the unexpected billing, could not afford to repatriate his body to Nigeria. He was ultimately buried in Ghana.
While there is no official evidence that the dollar billing directly caused the medical complication that led to his death, the case has raised serious concerns about how financial exploitation, stress, and lack of transparency may affect patient outcomes, especially for foreign patients seeking urgent care.
This story has struck a nerve a for several reasons:
-
Foreign currency billing: Ghana’s laws generally prohibit pricing goods and services locally in foreign currency without authorization.
-
Referral concerns: Patients allegedly being directed from a public hospital to a specific private pharmacy.
-
Lack of transparency: Conflicting accounts over whether the patient “chose” to pay in dollars.
-
Vulnerability of medical tourists: A foreign family in distress, facing life-or-death decisions with limited bargaining power.
What Authorities Are Doing Now
The case has triggered responses at multiple levels:
Ghana’s Ministry of Health has acknowledged the allegations and set up an investigative committee to examine practices at Ridge Hospital.
Hospital management has admitted that some referral and billing practices were not appropriate and says new policies are being developed to stop patients from being sent outside the hospital system for critical consumables.
Anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), are reported to be reviewing past and present complaints linked to patient exploitation.
Professional regulators (medical and pharmacy councils) may also become involved if ethical breaches are established.
Axis Pharmacy has denied wrongdoing and maintains that any dollar payment was made by choice, a claim disputed by the patient.
Patient Rights at the Center of This
Under Ghana’s Patient Charter, patients have the right to:
-
Know the full cost of treatment before care begins
-
Receive clear, itemised billing
-
Be informed of complaint and redress mechanisms
Legal experts say that if these rights were violated, affected families may have grounds for regulatory sanctions, refunds, or civil action.
A Bigger Question for Ghana’s Health System
Beyond one tragic case, the controversy raises a broader question:
> Are patients, especially foreigners being quietly exploited within public health institutions through opaque billing and private vendor arrangements?
As investigations continue, the public is watching closely to see whether this case leads to real accountability, policy reform, and protection for vulnerable patients seeking care across borders.
