The management of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has officially debunked a viral video depicting patients lying on the floor of its emergency units, labelling the footage as a misrepresentation of the facility’s current operational reality.
Addressing the media during a high-profile working visit by the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, on Saturday, 21st March 2026, the hospital’s CEO, Dr Yakubu Seidu Adam, insisted that while the hospital is facing a surge in admissions, its “no-bed” challenges have not deteriorated to the levels suggested in the clip.
Dr Adam acknowledged that the hospital is currently stretched, with high demand occasionally forcing some patients to be treated while seated in chairs. However, he was adamant that at no point have patients been left to sleep on the floor.
“We are still reviewing the images to ascertain whether it is AI-generated,” Dr Adam stated, adding that the hospital is conducting a technical assessment of the footage to verify its authenticity.
To mitigate the pressure on the emergency department, the CEO announced that Outpatient Department (OPD) services have now been extended to 10:00 p.m., allowing doctors more time to manage non-critical cases and prevent overcrowding in the main wards.
Despite the CEO’s clarification, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh emphasised that the underlying congestion issues require urgent structural changes.
After touring the units, the Minister directed that the hospital must prioritise clearing the emergency room by ensuring beds are always available in the secondary wards.
“I realised that there is the need for beds at the wards so that at every material time we can create space at emergency. For me, I think it makes a lot of sense to create an empty bed at the emergency than to say that the wards are full,” the Minister noted.
Mr Akandoh also used the visit to send a message to referral facilities across the country.
He urged peripheral hospitals to ensure patients are medically stable before transferring them to Korle Bu, which often bears the brunt of cases that could have been managed at the district level.
“I will also appeal to all the health facilities to this place to try to stabilise the person first,” he urged.
While the hospital management continues its investigation into the source of the viral video, the Ministry of Health has pledged to support KBTH in expanding its bed capacity to ensure that the “no-bed syndrome” does not compromise patient dignity or clinical outcomes.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com