The Chairman of the Komfo Anokye Doctors’ Association (KADA), Dr Michael Leat, has called on the government to urgently activate the Sewua Government Hospital and Afari Military Hospital to help address persistent congestion and bed shortages at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).

According to him, the two health facilities, which have already been completed, possess a combined capacity of about 600 beds and could significantly ease the pressure on KATH if they are adequately equipped and made operational.

He noted that the Afari Military Hospital has a capacity of 100 beds, while the Sewua Hospital can accommodate up to 500 patients.

Dr Leat said the growing overcrowding at KATH, particularly at its Accident and Emergency Centre, reflects broader challenges within Ghana’s healthcare system, including limited infrastructure, inadequate resources and the increasing number of referrals received by the facility from across the country.

He stressed that KATH continues to bear a heavy burden as the principal tertiary referral hospital in the Ashanti Region, placing enormous strain on both its infrastructure and healthcare personnel.

Speaking in an interview on Citi FM on Thursday, June 4, 2026, Dr Leat urged policymakers to focus on long-term solutions to the challenges facing the health sector rather than apportioning blame for the current situation.

“Yes, there’s overcrowding. What we’re saying is that the Health Ministry should help to take away some of the burden from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. There should be collaboration between Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, the Health Ministry and other health facilities.

“We have hospitals that have been built; all we need is to operationalise them and retool the various hospitals around KATH.”

He warned that the continued delay in bringing the facilities into operation was worsening pressure on KATH and affecting the quality of care available to patients.

“All these things are not done, and the burden is on KATH. If we try to help so that patients are saved, and staff are overwhelmed, and we are queried, then we need to look at the health system very well.

“The two hospitals, Afari Military Hospital and Sewua Hospital, should be operationalised. One is a 100-bed capacity, and one is a 500-bed capacity. If we can be able to operationalise these hospitals, I don’t think we will be in this situation.”

Dr Leat maintained that expanding access to healthcare through the activation of existing but underutilised facilities would improve patient outcomes, reduce overcrowding and create a more manageable working environment for healthcare professionals at KATH.

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Activate Sewua and Afari Hospitals to reduce pressure on KATH – Doctors' Association to government

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