By Sasel E.A. Ekumah
Accra, Aug. 5, GNA – Dr Henry Bulley, Head of the Accident and Emergency Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), has called for expanded health infrastructure and increased recruitment of healthcare professionals.
He said additional investment in health facilities and the workforce was needed to meet rising patient demand and reduce pressure on referral hospitals.
Dr Bulley made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
He said Ghana’s health infrastructure had not kept pace with population growth, noting that Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, established when the country’s population was below six million, remained the nation’s premier referral hospital despite the population now exceeding 30 million.
The Accident and Emergency Department, designed with a 50-bed capacity, now attended to about 100 patients daily, compared with between 50 and 70 patients in previous years, he said.
Dr Bulley attributed the increase largely to growing referrals from health facilities across the country, which had stretched the hospital’s capacity to provide specialised emergency care.
“Everybody is sending everything to Korle Bu because the expertise is here and treatment is relatively affordable compared to some other facilities,” he said.
He said delays in expanding health infrastructure and recruiting adequate numbers of healthcare professionals had contributed to persistent congestion at referral hospitals.
Dr Bulley expressed concern that although many trained nurses remained unemployed, health facilities continued to face staffing shortages.
“The expansion of health facilities and the workforce is not going according to the population increase,” he said.
He said emergency departments across the country required additional space, modern equipment and more personnel to manage increasing numbers of emergency and trauma cases.
Dr Bulley also called for stronger specialist support services, particularly psychological care for trauma patients and their families.
He said many accident survivors and their relatives required counselling and emotional support, but the number of psychologists within the health system remained inadequate.
Dr Bulley urged policymakers to prioritise investment in healthcare infrastructure and human resources to improve patient care and ease pressure on referral hospitals.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
5 Aug. 2026
Reporter: Sasel E.A. Ekumah