The recurring phenomenon popularly described as “No Bed Syndrome” continues to expose fundamental weaknesses in Ghana’s hospital system. It refers to the inability of a patient to obtain prompt hospital admission or emergency care because health facilities report no capacity. While the problem has existed for many years as a structural health-system challenge—driven by shortages of beds, overcrowding, referral inefficiencies, and weak emergency coordination—the term gained national prominence around 2017–2018 following tragic reports of patients dying after being referred from hospital to hospital.
