Dr. Henry Bulley Reports Sharp Surge in Emergency Cases at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as Daily Admissions Top 100

The Accident and Emergency Department at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has reported a significant spike in daily patient attendance, with numbers jumping from a previous average of 50-70 to over 100 cases per day. Dr. Henry Bulley, the head of the department, revealed that the facility is currently managing a heavy load of both trauma and non-trauma medical emergencies. During the first half of 2026, the department handled a total of 7,781 emergency patients, highlighting the growing pressure on Ghana's premier healthcare institution.

Dr. Bulley expressed profound concern regarding the deteriorating health status of patients upon arrival. Many individuals are reaching the emergency ward in critical conditions—often unconscious or suffering from severe complications related to strokes and diabetes—that were previously managed at the clinic level. The department head noted that this trend suggests a possible delay in patients seeking medical attention or a shift in the severity of prevalent public health issues. Medical emergencies such as severe diabetic complications are now major contributing factors to the daily intake alongside traditional trauma cases.

A primary driver of the increased workload is the rising frequency of road traffic accidents. In the first half of 2026 alone, Korle Bu recorded 553 road crash victims, accounting for 7.11% of all emergency cases. This represents a steady increase from the 379 cases (5.33%) reported during the same period in 2025 and 368 cases (4.65%) in 2024. Dr. Bulley pointed out that peak periods, such as school vacations and festive seasons, typically see a spike in these incidents due to increased travel and associated risky behaviors on the road.

Despite the higher volume of trauma cases, there is a positive trend in the hospital’s clinical outcomes. Improvements in emergency care and the availability of specialized services have led to a slight decrease in mortality rates among accident victims. For example, while case numbers rose, the department recorded 10 deaths in the first half of 2026, a decrease compared to 12 deaths in 2024. Moving forward, Dr. Bulley emphasized that while hospital care is improving, there is an urgent need for enhanced road safety education and preventive measures to reduce the influx of preventable injuries and ensure the facility can continue to provide high-quality care to all patients.