19/01/2026
Disturbing revelations from The Fourth Estate’s investigation into alleged patient exploitation at Ridge Hospital.
A Nigerian patient, who crowdfunded $10,000 for brain tumor surgery in Ghana (due to unavailable equipment in Nigeria), was instructed by doctors at Ridge Hospital to buy surgical tools from a private pharmacy called Axis Pharmacy.
The patient’s relative received an Axis Pharmacy prescription form from Ridge Hospital, signed by one Dr. Andani on behalf of Dr. Kaba, the current Director General of the Ghana Health Service.
The supposed medical equipment is referenced on the Axis prescription form with codes which, according to the report, match those of the equipment the government procured for Ridge Hospital in 2022 - the registrar of the General Medical Council alludes to a similar conclusion.
The patient’s relative was charged $7,000 by Axis Pharmacy as the cost for the supposed surgical equipment.
Interestingly, when the patient’s relative requested to see the equipment she had paid $7,000 for, her request was dismissed with the excuse that they needed to be sterile hence, she was not shown the equipment she had bought. I wonder how seeing sterile equipment renders it unsterile.
Exploitation of patients by some healthcare professionals in Ghana is an open secret, but the scale of this one, if true, is staggering. Ministry of Health, Ghana must leave no stone unturned in investigating this matter and bringing anyone found culpable to face the law.
