“No-bed syndrome” due to poor management, not lack of beds – MOH
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has dismissed assertions that Ghana is experiencing a widespread shortage of hospital beds, stating that current data indicates health facilities still have significant unused capacity.
Appearing before Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Deputy Minister of Health Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah said hospital bed occupancy nationwide is currently around 60 per cent, meaning a substantial number of beds remain available.
She argued that the persistent “no-bed syndrome” is largely the result of inadequate coordination rather than an actual lack of hospital beds.
According to Dr Ayensu-Danquah, a real-time bed management system would enable emergency services to identify available spaces across hospitals and direct patients to facilities with the capacity to admit them.
“If bed occupancy is about 60 per cent, then in a hospital with 100 beds, about 40 should still be available. The question is why patients are still being told there are no beds,” she said.
She explained that a centralised system providing up-to-date information on the availability of beds, including those in intensive care units (ICUs), maternity wards and orthopaedic units, would help improve patient referrals and reduce delays in emergency care.
Dr Ayensu-Danquah said such a system would allow ambulance personnel to determine in advance which hospital has the appropriate bed available before transporting a patient.
She maintained that available evidence shows hospital beds exist across the country, but shortcomings in coordination and information sharing often result in patients being denied admission.
The Deputy Minister stressed that strengthening hospital bed management would improve access to timely healthcare and help address concerns over the “no-bed syndrome.”
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