Preterm babies at risk as radiant warmer breaks down at Kumasi Hospital

The Maternity Block Unit (MBU) of the Atonsu Agogo Government Hospital in Kumasi is facing a critical challenge after its long-serving radiant warmer, a vital life-support machine for preterm babies, broke down.

According to a report by adomonline.com on Friday, April 17, 2026, the warmer, which had been in use for over a decade, reportedly developed a fault about three weeks ago.

The malfunction has severely disrupted healthcare delivery and exposed vulnerable preterm infants to life-threatening conditions.

Dr Rita Fosu Yeboah, head of the facility, explained that the breakdown has forced health workers to place more than three preterm babies in a single radiant warmer.

She said this situation is both unsafe and medically unacceptable.

“We receive numerous referrals and record a high number of maternity cases, being the second-largest hospital in the region. However, we are confronted with several challenges, including inadequate radiant warmers and limited space. We are appealing to philanthropists, NGOs, and the government to come to our aid because the situation is dire,” adomonline quoted her as saying.

The issue came to light following a donation exercise by officials from the Kumasi Hospital.

VKB/MA