Health minister decries poor maintenance at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has raised alarm over the poor state of infrastructure and maintenance at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana’s premier health referral facility.

He described the current situation as unacceptable and indicative of a broader failure in maintenance culture across some health institutions in the country.

He paid a working visit to the hospital on May 14, 2025, following a number of complaints and reports received from the public regarding the deteriorating conditions of key sections of the facility.

His inspection focused on the Maternity and Surgical blocks, as well as other critical areas of the hospital.

In a 3news.com report, it said Akandoh was accompanied by some officials from the Ministry of Health and the KBTH management.

The team visited several wards, washrooms, broken-down elevators, and the general surroundings of the hospital, the report stated.

The minister expressed disappointment over the disrepair he witnessed in many parts of the facility.

“Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is our premier referral centre. As we have all seen, it is not in the best of shape. I have received a lot of reports from the public, so I decided to come and see things for myself. The situation calls for urgent and coordinated action,” he indicated.

He acknowledged that some of the issues had already been identified by the hospital's management, who assured him that efforts were underway to fix them.

However, he stressed that many of the problems were long-standing and had been neglected for years due to what he described as a poor maintenance culture.

“We have a very poor maintenance culture. Some of these things have been abandoned for a very long time. It is encouraging that management agrees with my concerns. We are all going to go back and see how we can restore the glory of Korle-Bu,” he said.

The visit comes at a time when Korle-Bu has faced growing public criticisms over the state of its facilities, which some fear could compromise healthcare delivery.

In response to Akandoh’s concerns, the management of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has promised to convene an emergency meeting to discuss and implement immediate corrective measures.

The report said that they also pledged to work closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure lasting improvements.

MRA/AE

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