Videos Of Patients Treated On Floor Are Real, Not AI – Korle Bu Emergency Residents
Doctors push back against management, cite systemic failures behind emergency care crisis
- Korle Bu residents confirm viral videos of patients on the floor are real
- Doctors reject management’s claims dismissing the footage
- Crisis linked to systemic healthcare challenges, not just bed shortages
Emergency Medicine Residents at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) have insisted that viral videos showing patients being treated on the floor are authentic, contradicting claims by hospital management.
The response follows remarks by KBTH CEO, Dr. Yakubu Seidu Adam, who dismissed the footage and downplayed concerns over conditions in the hospital’s emergency unit, including the persistent “no-bed syndrome.”
Residents Reject ‘Misleading’ Claims
In a press statement dated March 23, the residents affirmed that the circulating videos accurately depict the reality within the emergency ward.
They explained that as patient numbers surged beyond capacity, available beds were quickly filled, forcing staff to resort to chairs. When those too were exhausted, some patients had no choice but to receive treatment on the floor.
The doctors described attempts to brand the footage as false or misleading as “factually inaccurate” and disrespectful to both patients and healthcare workers.
Crisis Beyond Bed Shortage
The residents stressed that the crisis cannot be solved by simply increasing the number of beds.
They argued that effective emergency care requires fully equipped spaces, including oxygen supply points, airway management tools, monitoring equipment, and adequate staffing levels.
According to them, adding beds without these critical resources could worsen congestion in an already overstretched unit.
Systemic Failures Blamed
The group maintained that the situation at KBTH reflects deeper structural problems within Ghana’s healthcare system.
They pointed to weak referral systems, lack of pre-hospital coordination, and the absence of a national bed-tracking system as major contributing factors.
Patients, they noted, are often transferred from lower-level facilities that lack capacity, while critically ill cases arrive without prior stabilisation or notice.
Call for National Reforms
The residents called on hospital management and the Ministry of Health to move beyond public relations responses and address the root causes of the crisis.
They emphasised the need for a stronger, coordinated national healthcare system rather than temporary fixes.
“The evidence is real. The crisis is real. And the response must be equally real,” the statement concluded.
