The Korle-Bu Doctors’ Association (KODA) has clarified that the ongoing crisis at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Centre is driven by factors far more complex than a simple shortage of beds.
In a statement released on March 23, 2026, the association highlighted a failing national referral system as the primary driver overwhelming the facility.
KODA argued that persistent overcrowding at the emergency unit stems largely from the inability of lower-level hospitals to manage various medical cases, which leaves them with no choice but to use Korle-Bu as a default destination for referrals.
The association emphasised that physical infrastructure alone cannot solve the problem, noting: ‘The provision of 1000 extra beds would not immediately translate into enough health personnel to take care of these patients. Any number of beds provided in Korle-Bu would be filled up in no time because the referring hospitals don’t have the capacity to take care of the conditions they are referring to the higher centres.”
KODA maintains that this bottleneck reflects deeper systemic failures within Ghana’s healthcare delivery structure, specifically where referral pathways fail to function as a coordinated network.
Consequently, the association has urged hospital management to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to fortify these systems.
The goal is to ensure patients are managed at the appropriate level of care rather than concentrating the burden on a single institution.
Beyond patient care concerns, KODA warned that the current working conditions expose medical staff to significant legal risks.
Meanwhile, the association has instructed its members to meticulously document the clinical environment when treating patients, particularly when care is delivered in suboptimal settings, such as on the floor, due to space constraints.
Doctors were further advised to formally report every instance of overcrowding and resource scarcity to their superiors, including heads of units and the director of medical affairs. Warning of the legal implications of working under such strain, the association noted: “The law courts would not accept such a sacrifice.”
KODA acknowledged that while the Ghana Medical Association has already proposed viable solutions to these healthcare challenges, a lack of political will remains a barrier to implementation. The statement stressed that a system-wide approach to capacity building is essential, rather than a narrow focus on expanding infrastructure at one location.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana