The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is calling on the government to urgently prioritize the construction of a catheterization laboratory following the death of a critical medical staff member, Dr. Kwame Adu Ofori, who suffered a fatal heart attack.
Despite efforts to save him, the hospital lacked the essential facility needed to treat the blockage in one of the arteries supplying blood to his heart. The absence of a catheterization lab at KATH has exposed the challenges of inadequate medical infrastructure in Ghana’s public health system, with the country currently relying on a single such facility located in Accra.
KATH’s CEO, Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo, recounted the heartbreaking events leading to Dr. Ofori’s death and stressed the urgent need to retool the hospital to prevent similar tragedies. The establishment of a catheterization laboratory at KATH would be the first in its 67-year history, serving not only the Ashanti Region but also the northern parts of Ghana.
Dr. Baidoo further noted that beyond the catheterization lab, the hospital requires a functional sterilization facility and significant equipment upgrades to ensure quality healthcare delivery. The Minister of Health has been briefed and has reportedly assured the construction of catheterization labs in Kumasi, Tamale, and Accra.
