Management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has announced a temporary suspension of new emergency admissions after its Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre exceeded its capacity and became overwhelmed by a surge in patients.
In a public notice issued on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, the hospital said the facility was currently unable to admit new emergency cases for the next 24 hours due to congestion at its critical care wards.
The statement, signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Kwame Frimpong, revealed that the A&E Centre, which was originally designed as a 37-bed facility, is currently operating far beyond its intended capacity.
According to the hospital, the centre currently has “61 patients on admission at its Orange, Yellow and Red critical wards with 34 others in a queue waiting for their turn.”
Management explained that the decision to temporarily halt new admissions was necessary to prevent further strain on healthcare workers and ensure existing patients receive the care they need.
“In order not to unduly endanger the lives of critically ill-patients, the hospital has deemed it appropriate to temporarily curtail further admissions so that the backlog of cases could be attended to in the next 24 hours before new ones could be admitted,” the statement said.
The hospital has consequently appealed to the public to seek emergency care at other health facilities across the Ashanti Region while efforts are made to ease pressure on the A&E Centre.
Management disclosed that it is already engaging the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to coordinate support from other hospitals in the region.
“The management of the hospital was engaging the leadership of the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to see how other hospitals in the region could be made to hold the fort pending improvement in the situation at the A&E Centre,” the statement noted.
Despite the temporary suspension, KATH assured the public that specialised emergency services for newborns, children and expectant mothers remain fully operational.
The hospital stressed that “all the neonatal, paediatric and obstetric emergency facilities at the hospital were not affected by the current temporary suspension of new cases.”
Management further indicated that the situation is under constant review and expressed optimism that normal emergency admissions would resume once the backlog of patients is cleared.
“The current situation is being periodically reviewed as our emergency physician specialists and other medical staff are doing their best to manage the surge in cases at the A&E Centre and new admissions will be allowed as soon as things get under control,” the management said.
