Korle-Bu Rejects Patient Referral

The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has been severely hit with the “No Bed Syndrome” forcing its management to place a halt on referrals from other health facilities.

The shortage of beds at the hospital’s Surgical Medical Emergency (SME) Unit over the weekend till now, compelled doctors to treat patients in plastic chairs, on stools, staircase and on the floor.

It is also reported that relatives of some patients yesterday, had to buy plastic chairs to enable doctors and nurses attend to them.

Patients were given chairs outside the ward because there were no available beds or sitting space within the emergency ward

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of KBTH, Mr Mustapha Salifu, says the decision to halt referrals is part of measures to relieve the facility of overcrowding at the SME.

Speaking on Accra based Joy FM, yesterday, Mr Salifu said, “We are reaching out to the other hospitals to ask them to hold on with the referrals to Korle-Bu because as we speak now, it is full beyond the capacity of this place.”

“The problem is not something that we need to solve within Korle-Bu alone. We would need the corporation of other hospitals within the metropolis to help us address this,” he said.

According to the PRO, the SME had been full beyond capacity and the hospital had since devised ways of curbing the challenge.

He revealed that they had gone as far as transferring patients to other wards that are not necessarily meant for dealing with cases that are brought to the medical emergency unit.

New SME Unit

Mr. Salifu further revealed SME unit would be moved to a new facility by the end of July.

“We thought we could move there in June but that couldn’t happen but this time we have done all the ground work,” he said.

But Mr Salifu was quick to add that that the new facility may not completely address the issue of “no beds” as the hospital is currently confronted with.

To reduce the problem to the barest minimum, the PRO said KBTH’s management has decided to set up an Acute Pain Management Centre.

“It will take care of these emergencies. Government has been helping us raise funding for that,” he added.

To further deal with the menace, Mr Salifu said a Bed Management Bureau id in the offing.

“The bureau would go around and take count of whatever available beds we have in any part of the hospital so that patients who are relatively stable can move there,” he disclosed.

By: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]