Health minister summons KATH CEO for suspending admission of new cases at emergency centre due to congestion
The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has summoned the Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, following the hospital’s decision to suspend the admission of new cases at the emergency centre due to congestion.
A query letter signed by the Chief Director of the ministry, Desmond Boateng, said the ministry took note of a statement issued in connection with the matter, making rounds on social media.
It said the Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the hospital was also heard in a media interview affirming the decision of the hospital's management on the inability of the emergency centre to admit new cases.
It said the decision was contrary to a clear directive by President John Dramani Mahama to hospitals not to turn away emergency cases.
"You are by this letter requested to appear before the Minister before 12pm on Thursday, June 4, 2026, to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for contradicting a clear directive of the President," it concluded.
Resumption of operations
Meanwhile, barely 24 hours after management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) announced that the hospital’s accident and emergency centre was full and unable to admit new cases, the facility has resumed full operations to admit only dire emergency cases.
Read also: Komfo Anokye Emergency centre resumes admission of dire cases
On Tuesday, June 2, 2026 it was announced to the public that KATH’s accident and emergency centre was full and overflowing with waiting patients and was, therefore, not in a position to admit new emergency cases for the next 24 hours.
Consequently, it urged the public to make use of peripheral hospitals in the region until the situation at the A&E Centre improves in a day or two.
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Kwame Frimpong, the hospital noted that the A&E Centre, which was originally designed as a 37-bed facility, currently has 61 patients on admission at its Orange, Yellow and Red critical wards with 34 others in a queue waiting for their turn.
The statement said in order not to unduly endanger the lives of critically ill-patients, the hospital has deemed it appropriate to temporary curtail further admissions so that the backlog of cases could be attended to in the next 24 hours before new ones could be admitted.
It noted that the management of the hospital was engaging the leadership of the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to see how other hospitals in the region could be made to hold the fort pending improvement in the situation at the A&E Centre of the hospital.
The statement, however, gave the assurance that all the neonatal, paediatric and obstetric emergency facilities at the hospital were not affected by the current temporary suspension of new cases.
“The current situation is being periodically reviewed as our emergency physician specialists and other medical staff are doing their best to manage the surge in cases at the A&E Centre and new admissions will be allowed as soon as things get under control”, the statement concluded.
Checks
However, checks at the hospital on Wednesday June 3, 2026 revealed that facility has fully resumed operations and receiving new admissions following the temporary congestion experienced at the centre.
Mr Frimpong told Graphic Online that the resumption of admissions was due to the diversion of "not so critical cases" to peripheral health facilities and the discharge of some inpatients at the hospital.
Mr. Frimpong said a crunch meeting held on Tuesday evening between the hospital, the leadership of the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate and its Medical Superintendents agreed on a number of measures to help decongest the centre.
"One of the measures was the retention of non-dire emergency cases at the peripheral and district hospitals to be managed with the support of specialists and consultants at KATH so that the A&E Centre can concentrate on the most critical of emergencies”, he stated.
Resolved
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