Korle Bu appeals for more doctors, nurses amid pressure on emergency centre

Management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has appealed for additional doctors and nurses to address staff shortages and ease pressure on its Accident and Emergency Centre.

The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Yakubu Seidu Adam, said the recruitment of more permanent medical personnel was necessary to complement the doctors and nurses undergoing specialist training at the facility.

He made the appeal when he briefed Parliament’s Health Committee on the challenges confronting the hospital.

According to Dr Adam, the 64-bed Accident and Emergency Centre is under significant pressure due to the large number of accident victims and other emergency cases referred to Korle Bu from various parts of the country.

He said the shortage of permanent staff was particularly affecting critical units such as the Accident and Emergency Centre and the Intensive Care Unit.

Dr Adam explained that although the hospital had a substantial number of doctors, many of them were trainees who left after completing their programmes.

“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 said.

He said Korle Bu therefore needed more medical officers who would remain at the hospital to strengthen emergency and intensive care services.

Dr Adam disclosed that management had already raised the staffing concerns with the hospital’s Director of Human Resources and the Minister of Health.

He used the engagement with the Health Committee to reiterate the need for additional personnel, particularly nurses, to support doctors and improve the quality and timeliness of patient care.

The hospital’s concerns come amid growing pressure on its emergency care facilities, with management also calling for the construction of a new facility to reduce the burden on the existing Accident and Emergency Centre.