The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has officially waded into the controversy surrounding overcrowding at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), confirming that a viral video showing patients receiving treatment on the floor is authentic.
The statement, dated March 24, 2026, directly contradicts claims made by hospital management and the CEO of Korle Bu, who had previously suggested the footage might have been “AI-generated” to mislead the public.
The controversy began following a visit by the minister of health on March 21, during which hospital leadership categorically denied that patients were being kept on the floor.
However, the GMA’s own internal checks and subsequent eyewitness accounts from patient relatives have told a different story.
“Checks at the Korle Bu Accident and Emergency department and a subsequent eyewitness account by a patient’s relative on Joy News confirmed that the incident did actually occur,” the GMA stated.
GMA noted that while the situation is distressing, it is not unique to Korle-Bu.
Surge situations often leave health workers with “no choice” but to manage patients on trolleys, chairs, and floors due to a chronic lack of bed space.
The GMA pointed a finger at recent administrative directives from both the hospital administration and the Ministry of Health.
According to the association, these directives likely triggered a surge in admissions that far exceeded the operational capacity of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre.
The doctors’ body warned that issuing such directives without a “comprehensive assessment” of the ground reality poses a significant risk to patient safety and the quality of care.
To prevent a recurrence, the GMA has proposed a comprehensive eight-point emergency plan centred on digitisation and improved inter-agency coordination.
Key among these recommendations is the implementation of a digitised, real-time bed management system across Accra to track availability and the establishment of a National Command Centre to oversee ambulance deployments and hospital referrals. The association also emphasised the need to retool and build capacity at nearby facilities like the Usher, Mamprobi, and Kaneshie polyclinics to handle patient spillovers, ensuring that Korle Bu is not overwhelmed by cases that could be managed elsewhere.
Furthermore, they suggested instituting a formal back-referral system, which would allow stable patients to be transferred from major teaching hospitals to smaller, capable facilities for their continued recovery and eventual discharge.
The GMA also called for an urgent inter-agency meeting.
The proposed summit would bring together the Ghana Health Service, CHAG, the National Ambulance Service, and private healthcare providers to find “workable and lasting solutions” to the perennial bed shortage.
“The GMA stands ready to work with the Ministry and all stakeholders to find real and lasting solutions to the emergency preparedness challenges that bedevil our health system,” the statement read.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
