The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is urgently calling for the construction of a catheterization laboratory (Cath Lab) following the tragic death of one of its key medical professionals, Dr. Kwame Adu Ofori, who succumbed to a heart attack over the weekend.
Dr. Ofori, an Emergency Physician, suffered a myocardial infarction—a critical heart condition caused by a blocked artery. Despite swift efforts by colleagues to stabilize him, KATH lacked the specialized facility needed to perform a minimally invasive procedure to remove the blockage. The absence of the Cath Lab left medical staff helpless.
The only operational Cath Lab in Ghana is located in Accra, and although Dr. Ofori was airlifted to the capital after being stabilized, he tragically died in transit.
“After stabilizing him, we arranged for a military airlift to Accra with a team of doctors and special care nurses. They were still in touch when they landed, but unfortunately, he died on the way to the hospital,” said Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo, CEO of KATH.
Dr. Ofori’s death has reignited concerns about the severe lack of cardiac care infrastructure in Ghana’s public health system—especially in regions outside Accra. Despite decades of operation, KATH—Ghana’s second-largest referral hospital—still lacks a Cath Lab. The hospital serves not only the Ashanti Region but also the northern half of the country.
“We have repeatedly appealed to successive governments and stakeholders for a Cath Lab, but no action has been taken. I recently made a request to the Bank of Ghana when they visited, and they asked for a formal proposal,” Dr. Baidoo added.
A Cath Lab is a specialized facility where doctors insert a thin tube called a catheter through a patient’s blood vessels—often via the arm or leg—to diagnose and treat blocked arteries, avoiding the need for open-heart surgery. It is a vital intervention in managing heart attacks.
The situation at KATH is reflective of wider systemic issues in Ghana’s public healthcare system, where specialized facilities are limited or completely absent in major regional hospitals. Health professionals at KATH say the lack of investment in critical infrastructure has contributed to avoidable deaths, and they fear that unless the situation changes, more lives will be lost.
Dr. Baidoo also revealed that the hospital’s sterilization facility is defunct and stressed the need for comprehensive retooling across departments to ensure quality healthcare delivery.
“We need a major upgrade of our medical infrastructure, not just in cardiology but across the board,” he emphasized.
According to KATH management, the Minister of Health has been informed about the incident and has assured that Cath Labs will be constructed not only in Kumasi, but also in Tamale and an additional one in Accra to improve nationwide coverage.
Health workers and the broader medical community are now pushing for immediate action to ensure no other lives are lost due to preventable gaps in medical infrastructure.
