The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has warned that the recent congestion crisis at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is not an isolated incident but a glaring symptom of systemic underfunding and inadequate emergency care infrastructure across the country.

On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, management at KATH had informed the public that the A and E Centre was overstretched and unable to receive additional emergency cases for about 24 hours, urging the public to seek care at nearby health facilities.

In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Kwame Frimpong, the hospital explained that the centre, originally designed as a 37-bed facility, was then managing 61 patients across its red, yellow and orange zones, with 34 more patients waiting to be attended to.

Management said the temporary restriction was necessary to prevent further risk to critically ill patients and allow staff to clear the backlog before resuming normal admissions.

The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital has, however, since resumed operations at its accident and emergency centre, now admitting only critical emergency cases.

In a press statement issued on June 4, 2026, the GMA called for sustained investment in emergency medicine infrastructure and the urgent expansion of emergency care facilities at all levels of the health delivery system.

The Association said while the immediate situation at KATH’s Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre has since improved remarkably, the episode should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers.

“The incident highlights broader systemic issues confronting emergency care delivery in Ghana,” the GMA stated.

The Association emphasised that without deliberate and sustained investment in emergency medicine infrastructure, including the expansion of emergency care facilities and deployment of specialised personnel, similar crises will recur at major referral hospitals across the country.

Concern over the Health Ministry’s query letter

In a notable shift from its defence of KATH’s management, the GMA also expressed concern over the negative picture painted by a query letter reportedly sent by the Ministry of Health to the Chief Executive Officer of KATH.

While the GMA did not disclose the full contents of the letter, it suggested that the Ministry’s action could unfairly portray the hospital in a damaging light, especially at a time when frontline staff were struggling under extreme pressure to save lives.

The Association cautioned that such official correspondence, when made public, risks undermining public confidence in the country’s foremost teaching hospitals.

“The GMA is concerned about the negative picture the query letter from the Health Ministry portrayed,” the statement read, without directly criticising the Minister.

The Association stopped short of calling for the withdrawal of the letter, but urged health sector regulators to adopt a more collaborative, rather than punitive, approach when facilities face capacity-induced crises.