By Grace Zigah
The Ministry of Health has summoned the Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to explain a controversial decision by the hospital’s management to temporarily halt new emergency admissions due to severe overcrowding at its Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre.
In a letter dated June 3, 2026, and signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Desmond Boateng, on behalf of the Minister of Health, the MoH expressed concern over public statements indicating that the hospital was unable to admit new emergency cases because its emergency unit had reached full capacity.
The Ministry noted that it had taken notice of a statement circulating on social media under the caption, “KATH Accident and Emergency Centre Full and Unable to Admit New Cases – Management.” It further referenced comments made by the hospital’s Head of Public Affairs during an interview on Channel One TV, where he reportedly confirmed management’s decision to suspend new emergency admissions.
According to the Ministry, the hospital’s position appeared to contradict a clear directive issued by President John Dramani Mahama, who has repeatedly instructed public health facilities not to turn away emergency patients regardless of prevailing challenges.
The Ministry consequently directed the KATH CEO to appear before the Health Minister by noon on Thursday, June 4, 2026, to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him for what it described as a contradiction of the President’s directive. As at press time yesterday there was no report about the purported meeting.
The summons has brought national attention to the worsening pressure on one of Ghana’s largest referral hospitals, which serves patients from across the Ashanti Region and several neighbouring regions.
Earlier, management of KATH announced that its Accident and Emergency Centre had become overwhelmed with patients, making it impossible to safely accommodate additional emergency cases for at least 24 hours.
The hospital consequently advised members of the public to seek treatment at other health facilities within the region until the situation improved.
In a statement signed by the Head of the Public Affairs Unit, Kwame Frimpong, hospital authorities disclosed that the A&E Centre, originally designed as a 37-bed facility, was operating far beyond its intended capacity.
At the time of the announcement, the centre was reportedly accommodating 61 admitted patients across its Orange, Yellow and Red critical care wards, while an additional 34 patients were waiting to be admitted.
Management explained that the temporary suspension of admissions was aimed at protecting critically ill patients already receiving treatment.
According to the statement, admitting more patients under the prevailing circumstances could have compromised patient safety and overwhelmed healthcare personnel.
The hospital further revealed that it had begun consultations with the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to coordinate support from other hospitals within the region.
The objective, management indicated, was to ensure that emergency cases could be redirected to alternative facilities while efforts were made to clear the backlog at the KATH emergency centre.
Despite the temporary restrictions, KATH assured the public that neonatal, paediatric and obstetric emergency services remained fully operational and were not affected by the congestion at the main Accident and Emergency Centre.
Hospital authorities maintained that the situation was being reviewed continuously by emergency physician specialists and other medical personnel.
They expressed optimism that admissions would resume once patient numbers reduced and pressure on the facility eased.
