Korle Bu struggling to cope with rising emergency cases — Accident and Emergency Head
Dr Henry Bulley, the Head of the Accident and Emergency Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, says Ghana's health infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with population growth, leaving major referral hospitals overstretched.
He said the increasing demand for emergency services had placed pressure on existing facilities, equipment and healthcare workers, affecting the capacity of hospitals to provide timely care.
Dr Bulley made the observation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, citing the gap between population growth and expansion of healthcare infrastructure as a major challenge facing the health sector.
He said Korle Bu had become a major referral centre for patients from across the country because of its specialist expertise and relatively lower cost of care.
“When Korle Bu was built, Ghana's population was below six million. Today, we are over 30 million, yet there has not been a corresponding expansion of the hospital,” he said.
Dr Bulley said many patients were referred to Korle Bu from public hospitals, including some tertiary facilities, because they could not afford treatment elsewhere or required specialised care.
He said some patients who had already been stabilised at other hospitals were still transferred through the Emergency Department instead of being directed to specialist wards, contributing to congestion.
The situation, he said, had resulted in critically ill patients remaining in the Emergency Department for extended periods while waiting for beds in specialist units.
Dr Bulley called for increased investment in hospital expansion, bed capacity and recruitment of healthcare professionals to meet the needs of the growing population.
“You hear that nurses are sitting at home, yet when you come to the hospital the nurses on duty are overwhelmed. We are told it is because of financial clearance, but that is something policymakers need to address,” he said.
Dr Bulley said expanding and strengthening district and regional hospitals would help reduce pressure on Korle Bu and allow patients to access quality care closer to their communities.
Source: GNA