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Dr Henry Bulley
The Accident and Emergency Department of the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital is recording a sharp rise in daily patient attendance, with cases increasing from about 50 and 70 to more than 100.
Dr Henry Bulley, Head of the Department, said the unit, which had a 50-bed capacity, now received about 100 patients daily, with numbers sometimes exceeding that figure.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Dr Bulley attributed the increase to rising trauma and non-trauma cases, including strokes, sudden loss of consciousness, severe diabetic complications, kidney diseases, domestic injuries and road traffic crashes.
He said, except for women in labour and children with non-trauma medical conditions who were managed at specialised units, most emergency cases were referred to the department.
Dr Bulley said while trauma cases continued to increase, medical emergencies had become particularly concerning.
“Previously, adults with malaria would simply visit clinics with fever, headaches and body pains, get tested, treated and go home. Now they are arriving unconscious, and many also present with severe kidney injuries,” he said.
He said health professionals were yet to establish the exact causes of the trend but stressed the need for further scientific investigation.
“We are asking ourselves what is happening in the system. Could it be due to the effects of illegal mining activities? The cases are not coming from Accra alone.
“Even the food we eat and the water we drink come from different parts of the country. It is something that should be studied properly before conclusions are drawn,” he said.
Dr Bulley also expressed concern about the steady rise in road traffic accident cases recorded at the hospital.
He said data from the department showed that emergency attendances during the first six months of recent years had remained high, with road traffic cases recording an upward trend.
The department attended to 7,781 emergency patients by the end of June 2026, compared with 7,108 in the same period in 2025, 7,910 in 2024 and 7,362 in 2023.
Road traffic accident cases accounted for 553 of this year’s attendances, representing 7.11 per cent of all emergency cases. This compared with 379 cases (5.33 per cent) in 2025, 368 cases (4.65 per cent) in 2024 and 384 cases (5.22 per cent) in 2023.
Despite the increase in accident cases, Dr Bulley said improvements in emergency care had contributed to a reduction in the proportion of deaths among accident victims.
Departmental data showed that 10 accident-related deaths were recorded by the end of June this year, representing a mortality rate of 1.81 per cent, compared with seven deaths (1.85 per cent) during the same period in 2025.
The department recorded 12 deaths (3.26 per cent) in 2024 and seven deaths (1.82 per cent) in 2023.
Dr Bulley attributed the improved outcomes to increased availability of emergency physicians and specialised emergency nurses.
He said continued improvements in emergency medicine had strengthened the department’s ability to stabilise critically injured patients and improve survival rates.
Dr Bulley identified festive periods, long public holidays and school vacations as peak periods for emergency cases.
“When children are on vacation, we see more injuries involving them. During Easter, Christmas, New Year and other holidays, the numbers also go up,” he said.
Dr Bulley attributed many crashes during such periods to increased travel, alcohol consumption, substance use and unsafe driving practices.
“We mix celebrations with risky modes of transport. The adrenaline goes up, people consume alcohol and other substances, and unfortunately we record more accidents during these periods,” he added.
Dr Bulley called for intensified road safety education and preventive measures to reduce injuries and ease pressure on emergency departments across the country.
Source: GNA