Mahama Announces Expansion of Accident and Emergency Centers at Four Major Hospital

Accra, Ghana — For years, the dreaded words “no bed” have turned hospital gates into places of despair for critically ill Ghanaians. But on Friday, President John Dramani Mahama declared that the era of turning away patients in critical condition is coming to an end, announcing a major overhaul of emergency care at the country’s premier referral hospitals .

Addressing the 68th Annual General Conference of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), the President unveiled a plan to expand Accident and Emergency (A&E) centers at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, and the 37 Military Hospital . The ambitious target: ensuring emergency beds account for at least 10 percent of each facility’s total functional bed capacity .

The disparity at Korle Bu highlights the scale of the crisis. While the hospital has a functional capacity of 1,500 beds, its emergency department currently operates with a mere 65 beds—a bottleneck that has cost lives. Under the new directive, that number will more than double to at least 150 .

However, Mahama emphasized that a bed alone is not a cure. “Normally, people say there is no bed, but it is not just about the bed,” he stated, noting that the expansion will be matched with the recruitment of personnel, functional equipment, oxygen, and essential supplies to make the capacity operational .

While construction begins next year, relief is immediate. The President announced the opening of the Ghana Armed Forces Critical Care and Emergency Hospital to civilian patients starting Friday, providing a crucial pressure valve for overcrowded facilities .

To prevent patients from being shuttled between hospitals in search of space, government has also piloted the Integrated Bed Management and Referral Coordination System. This digital platform allows ambulance teams to identify facilities with actual available capacity in real-time, ensuring patients are directed to where they can be treated .

The President issued a stern directive to medical facilities: a lack of beds must never justify refusing a patient in critical condition. “At the very least, the patient must be assessed,” he said, mandating that hospitals stabilize patients within their capacity before arranging safe transfers .

For a healthcare system haunted by tragedies like the death of young engineer Charles Amissah—who was reportedly turned away by three hospitals earlier this year—these announcements represent a long-awaited structural shift from reactive directives to systemic reform .

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