Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Bed Capacity Drops to 1,500 – Board Chair Calls for Urgent Replacement and Expansion
Prof. Titus Beyuo Counters Claims That More Beds Won’t Solve Congestion, Cites Broken Beds and Low National Ratio of 0.9 Beds per 1,000 People
The Board Chair of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof. Titus Beyuo, has disclosed that the hospital’s functional bed capacity has declined to approximately 1,500, mainly due to broken beds that have not been replaced.
Speaking in an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View, Prof. Beyuo addressed public concerns raised by a viral video that appeared to show patients lying on the floor at the Accident and Emergency Centre.
While hospital management, including Chief Executive Officer Yakubu Seidu Adam, had earlier stated that patients were seated on chairs while awaiting admission and not being treated on the floor, Prof. Beyuo focused on the broader capacity crisis.
Urgent Need for More Beds
He strongly countered suggestions by some Emergency Medicine Residents that adding more beds would not resolve the congestion problem.
“It’s a very unfortunate statement. We need more beds. No one can argue that we don’t need beds,” he said.
Prof. Beyuo referenced World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, which suggest 2 to 5 beds per 1,000 population. Ghana currently has only 0.9 beds per 1,000 population, far below the global standard.
“As of today, the functional bed capacity in Korle Bu is about 1,500. It has come down. Some beds have broken down and have not been replaced,” he revealed.
Confidence in Health Minister
Despite the challenges, the Board Chair expressed confidence that the current Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has both the knowledge and political will to tackle the hospital’s problems.
“I want to reassure the doctors that the Minister of Health has sufficient knowledge of the system. He has the commitment and the political will to solve the problem,” he added.
The revelations have intensified public discussion about the chronic infrastructure and resource constraints facing Ghana’s largest referral hospital, particularly at its Accident and Emergency unit, which frequently experiences severe overcrowding.
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital remains the country’s premier tertiary health facility, handling complex cases from across Ghana and beyond.
Source: Interview with Prof. Titus Beyuo on Channel One TV’s The Point of View (March 25, 2026)
