KATH Suspends New A&E Admissions for 24 Hours as Patient Surge Overwhelms Kumasi Referral Centre
The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi has temporarily suspended the admission of new cases at its Accident and Emergency Centre for the next 24 hours. The move comes after the facility was overwhelmed by a surge in patients, pushing bed capacity and emergency care beyond safe limits.
In a statement released by the hospital’s Public Affairs Unit, management said the A&E Centre was full and overflowing with patients waiting for attention. Head of Public Affairs Kwame Frimpong explained that the Centre, designed as a 37-bed facility, currently has 61 patients on admission across its Orange, Yellow and Red critical zones, with 34 others waiting in queue.
To protect patient safety and maintain quality care, hospital authorities decided to temporarily curtail new admissions. Existing critical cases will continue to receive treatment while the backlog is cleared.
KATH serves as the main referral hospital for 12 out of Ghana’s 16 regions. Patients with complex trauma, surgical emergencies, and severe medical conditions are often transferred to Kumasi from district and regional hospitals with limited resources. This high referral load means the A&E Centre routinely operates above its designed capacity. Seasonal spikes in road accidents, infectious diseases, and other emergencies during certain months also add pressure to the facility.
Hospital management says the suspension is temporary and will be reviewed every few hours. Emergency physician specialists and medical staff are working to discharge stable patients and transfer others to wards to free up space in the A&E.
KATH is also engaging the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to coordinate with peripheral hospitals. The goal is to have satellite facilities manage less critical cases so KATH can focus on life-threatening emergencies.
“The current situation is being periodically reviewed as our emergency physician specialists and other medical staff are doing their best to manage the surge,” the statement read. “New admissions will be allowed as soon as things get under control.”
Hospital authorities clarified that neonatal, pediatric and obstetric emergency services have not been affected. Pregnant women in labor, children with severe illness, and newborns requiring urgent care will still be admitted directly through specialized units.
This distinction is important because it means maternal and child health emergencies remain protected even as general A&E admissions are paused.
The temporary suspension affects patients who would normally be referred to KATH’s A&E from other regions. Those with non-critical conditions are being advised to seek care at district or regional hospitals closer to them until Kumasi stabilizes.
For accident victims and critically ill patients, ambulance services are being rerouted to alternative facilities where possible. The hospital urged the public to cooperate with medical teams and avoid bringing minor cases to the already congested centre.
KATH management says it is working with the Ministry of Health to address the underlying capacity challenges. Long-term solutions under discussion include expanding the A&E infrastructure, increasing specialist staff, and strengthening referral networks so fewer cases bypass district hospitals.
The situation will be monitored closely over the next 24-48 hours. Once the backlog is cleared and bed space opens up, new admissions will resume and the public will be notified.
The 24-hour suspension at KATH’s A&E Centre highlights the strain on Ghana’s referral hospitals. With 12 regions depending on Kumasi for critical care, congestion is a recurring challenge. For now, the hospital’s priority is stabilizing current patients and restoring safe admission levels before reopening to new emergency cases.
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