Korle Bu appeals for more doctors, nurses as A&E Centre struggles under pressure

The management of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital has urged the government to hire more doctors and nurses to tackle persistent shortages and alleviate strain on its Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre. Hospital CEO Dr Yakubu Seidu Adam stressed during a meeting with Parliament's Health Committee that recruiting more permanent medical personnel is crucial for enhancing emergency care and bolstering services at the nation's top referral facility.

He revealed that the 64-bed A&E Centre is finding it difficult to manage the increasing number of accident victims and other emergency cases coming in from various parts of the country. Dr Adam noted that the lack of permanent medical staff is putting extra strain on critical departments, especially the A&E Centre and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Although the hospital boasts a large number of doctors, many are medical trainees who exit once their training is over, making long-term staffing difficulties. "This is a training institution. We have a number of doctors, but most of them are not our staff – they come, we train them, and they go," he explained. He emphasized the need for more medical officers who can provide consistent support for emergency and intensive care services, rather than depending on doctors undergoing training.

The hospital had previously brought these staffing concerns to the attention of the hospital's Director of Human Resources and the Minister of Health. The meeting with Parliament's Health Committee offered another platform to highlight the urgent need for additional personnel. Adam also called for more nurses to aid existing medical staff and ensure prompt and efficient patient treatment.

The appeal follows the hospital's ongoing struggle to cope with the volume of cases it treats from across the country. Apart from addressing the personnel shortage, management has also proposed building a new facility to alleviate congestion and boost the hospital's capacity to handle emergency cases. The combination of recruiting more doctors and nurses, along with the proposed construction, is hoped to enhance emergency care delivery at Ghana's leading referral hospital.