The government is set to expand emergency care capacity at four major hospitals as part of efforts to address persistent challenges in Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
The expansion will target the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Tamale Teaching Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital.
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh disclosed this on Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, saying the initiative follows recommendations from a committee established to examine challenges within the country’s emergency care system.
“We are looking at the expansion of the emergencies at Komfo Anokye, Tamale, Korle Bu, 37 Military Hospital,” he said.
Mr Akandoh said the emergency unit at Korle Bu, in particular, currently has insufficient capacity relative to the hospital’s overall bed capacity.
“Korle Bu, for example, the bed capacity at the emergency is around 67, and the total bed capacity in the hospital is over 1,000. So we say we think it’s not adequate,” he explained.
According to the Minister, the expansion of Korle Bu’s emergency unit forms part of a broader redevelopment project at the hospital.
“We are looking at the expansion as part of the remodelling of Korle Bu,” he said.
The redevelopment will include a new 400-bed facility, as well as a mother and child centre, fertility centre, theatres, intensive care units and car parks.
“The contractor is on site as I speak to you now. So we call it a hospital within a hospital,” Mr Akandoh said.
Electronic bed management system
Alongside the physical expansion of emergency facilities, the government is piloting a national electronic emergency bed management system aimed at improving the use of existing hospital capacity.
Mr Akandoh said a command centre established at Ridge Hospital is providing health authorities with real-time information on emergency bed availability and occupancy.
“I have a screen in my office, that if Korle Bu says there’s no bed, I’m able to see how many beds are, how many patients are in the emergency,” he said.
The system is currently being piloted in selected regional and teaching hospitals.
The Minister said hospital beds have been fitted with barcodes, while designated commanders at participating facilities are responsible for continuously updating information on bed availability and occupancy.
The ambulance service has also been integrated into the system to help determine where emergency patients should be transported based on available capacity.
Mr Akandoh stressed that the system is intended primarily to improve the management of scarce emergency resources rather than create additional beds.
“So this system will not necessarily add more beds, but it will help us to manage the scarce resources, so that one patient will not be on one bed at emergency for more hours than another,” he said.
More ambulances planned
The Health Minister also disclosed that more than 200 ambulances are currently operational, with plans to procure an additional 100 vehicles in 2027.
“We are going to add 100 brand-new vehicles,” he said.
He said the government has not yet determined how the new ambulances will be distributed but indicated that priority could be given to replacing vehicles that are no longer functional.
Disciplinary action
On disciplinary measures against health workers implicated in the committee’s review of emergency care, Mr Akandoh said institutions were still implementing the recommendations.
Asked whether individuals recommended for sanctions would eventually face disciplinary action, he said they remained subject to Ghana’s laws.
“Why not? They are all under the laws of Ghana, and so that’s how far I can go,” he said.
The Minister, however, noted that some cases involve legal complexities that could affect how the recommendations are implemented.
“Maybe I may have to tell you that in some instances it’s not a straightforward issue, as you said. There are some legal nuances, and that’s all I can add. So we are implementing the recommendations of the committee,” he said.
