Ghana’s health minister has outlined new steps to tackle the country’s “no bed syndrome”, where patients are turned away from hospitals due to a lack of space.
Kwabena Mintah Akandoh said the government was introducing an information technology system to track bed availability and setting up a central monitoring unit at Ridge Hospital in Accra.
“We are going to use IT to monitor the beds. What we are doing at the moment is counting the beds and barcoding them,” he said today during the Government Accountability Series at the Jubilee House.
He explained that a manual count of hospital beds was underway, alongside efforts to barcode them as part of a broader IT-based tracking system.
“We are creating a centre at Ridge Hospital. That is where we are setting up the centre. So that is one aspect,” he added.
The minister also said plans were being made to seek legislative backing for emergency health response. “We are going to go to Parliament for legislation on emergency issues,” he said, without giving details.
Other measures include expanding bed capacity in existing facilities and building a new emergency hospital near Burma Camp.
“We are looking at adding more beds to the already existing health facilities. We are also looking at establishing a dedicated facility for emergency services, which will be located around the Burma Camp area,” he said.
Hon. Akandoh noted that further action would follow the submission of an ongoing report. “There is a lot we are doing. When the report comes, it will include recommendations, and we will implement them fully,” he said.
The “no bed syndrome” has been a source of public concern in Ghana, highlighting gaps in patient admission and emergency care. The ministry’s interventions, including the IT monitoring system and the planned emergency facility, are part of efforts to improve access and efficiency in healthcare deliver
