The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has temporarily suspended new admissions at its Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre for the next 24 hours after the facility became overwhelmed by a surge in critically ill patients.
Hospital management announced on Tuesday that the emergency unit is operating far beyond its intended capacity, forcing the facility to redirect emergency cases to other hospitals across the Ashanti Region until conditions improve.
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Kwame Frimpong, KATH disclosed that its A&E Centre, originally designed as a 37-bed facility, is currently managing 61 admitted patients across its Orange, Yellow and Red critical care wards, with an additional 34 patients waiting for admission.
The hospital said the unprecedented pressure on the emergency unit has left it unable to safely accommodate new cases without compromising patient care.
“To avoid endangering the lives of critically ill patients, management has deemed it necessary to temporarily curtail further admissions while efforts are made to clear the backlog of cases,” the statement explained.
As a result, members of the public requiring emergency medical attention have been advised to seek care at peripheral hospitals and other health facilities within the region until the situation stabilises.
Management said it is working closely with the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to coordinate emergency healthcare services and ensure other hospitals can absorb cases that would ordinarily be referred to KATH.
The hospital further assured the public that emergency physicians and medical staff are working around the clock to manage the surge in cases and restore normal operations at the emergency centre.
“The current situation is being periodically reviewed, and new admissions will be allowed as soon as things get under control,” the statement added.
KATH is the second-largest tertiary healthcare facility in Ghana and serves as the main referral hospital for the Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, Western North, Savannah and parts of the Northern regions.
The hospital’s Accident and Emergency Centre receives hundreds of referrals and emergency cases each week, making it one of the busiest emergency facilities in the country. Health experts have repeatedly raised concerns about increasing pressure on major referral hospitals due to growing patient numbers, inadequate bed space and limited critical care infrastructure.
