Management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has pressed the government for urgent reinforcements of doctors and nurses to alleviate severe staffing constraints currently crippling its flagship Accident and Emergency Centre.
Briefing members of Parliament’s Health Committee, Chief Executive Officer Dr. Yakubu Seidu Adam revealed that the 64-bed emergency unit remains heavily overstretched due to a relentless influx of critical cases and accident victims referred from medical facilities nationwide.
Dr. Adam attributed the shortage primarily to the hospital’s dual identity as a premier national referral point and a training ground.
He noted that while the facility hosts a significant workforce, a large proportion comprises temporary trainees rather than permanent staff who remain to sustain operations long-term.
“This is a training institution. We have a number of doctors, but when we look at our numbers, most of them are not our staff. It’s a training institution; they come, we train them, and they go,” he stated.
According to the chief executive, this rapid turnover leaves vital departments—particularly emergency and intensive care units—undermined and lacking the robust permanent support required for optimal healthcare delivery. He emphasised that recruiting dedicated medical officers and nurses is indispensable for timely and effective patient management.
While management has previously escalated these grievances to the Minister of Health and the Director of Human Resources, Dr. Adam used the legislative platform to renew the distress call. Beyond personnel recruitment, hospital leadership continues to champion the construction of a new emergency infrastructure to permanently relieve the crippling congestion at the existing centre.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana