KATH records 16% drop in institutional deaths in 2025
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has recorded a 16 per cent reduction in institutional deaths in 2025 compared to 2024, a development management attributes to improved clinical care and strengthened service delivery systems.
Despite the gains, the hospital reported that some service areas—including emergency admissions, deliveries, inpatient care, and radiological services—fell short of their targets due to operational challenges such as industrial action by health workers and downtime of the Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS).
The Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Paa Kwasi Baidoo, disclosed this during the hospital's 2025 End-of-Year Performance Review Conference, held under the theme “KATH @70; Advancing Tertiary Healthcare on the Pillars of Research, Customer-Centric Care and Clinical Mentorship.”
Presenting the report, Dr. Baidoo noted that several key clinical indicators improved during the year under review.
“There was a 16% reduction in institutional deaths in 2025 as against 2024,” he said.
Outpatient Department (OPD) attendance exceeded its target, recording 284,225 cases against a projected 273,144, representing a four per cent increase. Emergency attendance also surpassed expectations, with 26,581 cases recorded compared to a target of 25,000, marking a six per cent rise.
Surgical procedures improved as well, with 18,380 operations performed against a target of 17,268, reflecting a six per cent increase. The hospital also recorded marginal gains in radiotherapy, laboratory, and physiotherapy services.
Dr. Baidoo highlighted improvements in patient experience, noting that satisfaction levels rose from 85.5 per cent in 2024 to 91.2 per cent in 2025.
On infrastructure, he said the hospital expanded dialysis services to three centres, including the renovation and reactivation of the Main Dialysis Centre, boosting capacity for adult, paediatric, and emergency dialysis care.
He added that ongoing projects include the construction of a Catheterisation Laboratory (CATHLAB) and a Cardiac Interventional Centre under the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares), expected to be completed in the third quarter of the year.
Other initiatives include an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Centre, a 192-bed relatives' hostel, and an Oncology Centre being developed in partnership with the Jospong Group of Companies.
A multi-purpose auditorium with an attached hostel is also planned with support from the Church of Pentecost.
Dr. Baidoo further disclosed that the hospital's long-term development has been strengthened with the approval of a 2025–2029 Strategic Plan aimed at positioning KATH as a leading centre for tertiary healthcare, medical education, and research in Africa.
As part of this agenda, he announced a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mayo Clinic in the United States to support healthcare equity, research collaboration, and clinical innovation.
He also noted that a Clinical Mentorship Programme is being implemented to support regional and district hospitals across the Ashanti, Bono, and surrounding regions through specialist training and service delivery.
The 2025 performance review coincides with KATH's 70th anniversary, marking seven decades of healthcare delivery since its establishment in 1955.