Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Ghana

The Good Samaritan: compassion and protection

Drawn from the Bible (Luke 10:25-37), the parable of the Good Samaritan tells of a traveller left for dead who is rescued by a stranger that tends to him and sees to his care. Beyond its religious context, it carries a universal message: the moral duty to help others in danger, through compassion and altruism.

Inspired by this principle, many so-called Good Samaritan laws have been enacted around the world to protect those who assist in good faith during an emergency from legal action. The exact scope of that protection, however, varies from one jurisdiction to another: here is what the law applicable to your region provides.

Statute citation

Governing act No dedicated Good Samaritan Act and no general duty to rescue. As a common-law jurisdiction, the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) imposes only narrow relationship-based duties (e.g., s. 79, supplying the necessaries of health and life to persons under one's charge). The Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683) imposes a duty on a driver involved in an accident to stop.
Scope of protection No offence penalizes a mere bystander who fails to assist a stranger in danger. Duties to act are confined to persons with charge of another (children, prisoners, vulnerable persons) and to drivers involved in an accident.
Duty to rescue No
AED liability protection No
No legal duty to rescue

Your protection under the law

Ghana has no dedicated Good Samaritan Act and no general duty to rescue a stranger. As a common-law jurisdiction, it treats a person acting in good faith to help another as measured only against reasonable conduct in the circumstances of the emergency; the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) creates duties only where a pre-existing relationship exists, such as charge of a vulnerable person (s. 79). The Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683) requires a driver involved in an accident to stop.

No duty to act, but every reason to

No law here punishes a mere bystander who fails to assist a stranger in danger: helping is a personal choice, not a legal compulsion. Duties to act are confined to those with charge of another and to drivers involved in an accident. Within that framework, a person who steps in reasonably and in good faith has no cause to fear being treated harshly for wanting to help.

Why training matters

The absence of a legal duty changes nothing about the medical reality: in cardiac arrest, the chance of survival falls by roughly 10 percent with every minute that passes without resuscitation. In Ghana, where medical help is not always immediate, the person on the scene becomes the first link in the chain of survival, long before responders arrive. Choosing to train is choosing not to stand helpless before an emergency. A few hours of learning today can be enough to save the life of someone you love.