The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has inspected the National Command Centre for Bed and Referral Management at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital as part of efforts to address Ghana’s persistent ‘no bed syndrome’.
The system is designed to provide real-time information on bed availability at participating hospitals, allowing emergency response teams to identify suitable facilities for patients before dispatching ambulances.
It is also expected to improve the referral process, reduce delays in emergency care and ensure more efficient use of available hospital beds.
During the inspection, Mr Akandoh said the system would help address situations where patients are turned away from hospitals despite beds being available at other facilities.
He explained that the platform would also enable health authorities to monitor emergency patients who spend more than 24 hours on a bed and investigate the reasons for the prolonged stays.
The Minister said the initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen emergency care capacity at selected teaching and regional hospitals, including Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Project Lead for Bed Management, Dr Justine Osei, disclosed that more than 650 hospitals had been captured in the system, with over 5,000 beds mapped for monitoring and regular updates.
The pilot phase currently covers teaching hospitals, Greater Accra Regional Hospital and the University of Ghana Medical Centre.
Beyond tracking bed availability, the system monitors ambulance movements and helps match patients to appropriate health facilities based on available beds, medical needs and distance.
The pilot is currently supported by 10 ambulances in the Greater Accra Region and another 10 in the Ashanti Region.
The Ministry of Health plans to extend the system to all regional hospitals before rolling it out to district-level facilities nationwide.