The Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital began operating a week after its July 2026 commissioning and has already handled more than 80 cases requiring advanced cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment.
During a Parliament Select Committee on Health visit, Dr Kow Entsua‑Mensah, Director of the National Cardiothoracic Centre, highlighted the lab’s rapid uptake, noting that it started performing procedures within a week and has continued to do so at a steady pace.
He explained that the facility is crucial for imaging blood vessels, diagnosing heart conditions and carrying out interventions for certain cardiac and vascular diseases. At the time of the committee’s visit, at least four patients were still awaiting procedures.
“The new Cath Lab, as we are all aware, was commissioned by His Excellency the President in July. And by the following week, we had done more than 20 cases. And it has continued in that fashion up to now,” Dr Entsua‑Mensah said. “At the last count, more than 80 people have benefited from the services of the Cath Lab.”
Despite the progress, the director flagged a shortage of adequately trained personnel as a major challenge that could limit the lab’s capacity. He urged increased investment in training and capacity building for cardiologists, surgeons and cath lab technicians to fully exploit the facility’s capabilities.
“We need to accelerate its use. We have a country of about 35 million, and we need human resource. As the CEO has said, we need to train cardiologists, surgeons. We need to train cath lab technicians. These are people who are skilled in the running, the maintenance. It has so many capabilities,” he added.
