Accra has good doctors. It also has long queues, uneven drug supply and an ambulance service that cannot always reach you quickly.
The time to work out where you would go is now, not at 2am with a fever.
Which hospital, for what
| If you need | Go to |
|---|---|
| An emergency, any hour | 37 Military, Ridge, or the nearest private A&E |
| Complex or specialist care | Korle Bu Teaching Hospital |
| Cancer treatment | Korle Bu — the national radiotherapy centre |
| Heart surgery | The National Cardiothoracic Centre, Korle Bu |
| A child | Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital, or any paediatric unit |
| Something routine | A polyclinic or health centre, not a teaching hospital |
| Speed, and you can pay | Nyaho, The Bank Hospital, UGMC |
In an emergency
112 — national emergency number 193 — National Ambulance Service 191 — Police 192 — Fire Service
Do not assume an ambulance is the fastest option
Ambulance availability and response times in Accra vary a great deal by area and by hour. In many situations a taxi or a private car to the nearest emergency department is faster, and it is what most Accra residents actually do. Know your nearest hospital and how to get there.
Save a nearby hospital’s number in your phone, and know the route — including which way you would go in traffic.
The public hospitals
Public facilities accept NHIS. Bring your card, and expect to queue.
Korle Bu Teaching Hospital — the largest hospital in Ghana and the main tertiary referral centre for the south. It is where complex cases end up, and it holds national services that exist nowhere else in the country: the National Cardiothoracic Centre for heart surgery, and the national radiotherapy and nuclear medicine centre, which is the main route to cancer treatment in southern Ghana. Enormous volumes and long waits.
37 Military Hospital — open to civilians and better organised than its size suggests. Its emergency department has a strong reputation and is what a lot of Accra residents choose for a genuine emergency.
Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) — rebuilt and modernised, centrally located, a good general option and a common referral point.
University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) — at Legon. The newest major facility in the city, well equipped, and the sensible choice for the north-eastern side of Accra.
Police Hospital — Cantonments. Open to the public despite the name.
Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital — near Korle Bu, paediatric.
LEKMA Hospital (Teshie), Achimota Hospital, Ga East Municipal Hospital (Kwabenya) and Tema General Hospital cover the outer parts of Greater Accra.
Polyclinics and health centres — district-level facilities across the city for routine care. Much shorter waits than a teaching hospital, and the right first stop for most ordinary problems. Going straight to Korle Bu with a routine complaint means a long day for care you could have had locally.
The private hospitals
Shorter waits, reliable drug supply, and you pay for it — through insurance or in cash.
Nyaho Medical Centre — Airport Residential. One of the best-known private hospitals in Accra, with broad specialist coverage.
The Bank Hospital — Cantonments. Modern and well equipped.
Lister Hospital — Airport Hills. General care, and particularly known for fertility services.
Euracare — Airport Residential. Advanced diagnostics and cardiac care.
Trust Hospital — several branches across Accra, mid-range pricing, widely used by employers as the default scheme facility.
C&J Medicare (Chantan), Akai House Clinic (Osu), Family Health (Teshie) and Pentecost Hospital (Madina), plus a large number of smaller clinics in every neighbourhood.
Ask what a consultation costs before you are seen. Private pricing varies widely and is not always displayed.
How being seen actually works
This is the part nobody explains, and it is where most of the frustration comes from.
OPD is not A&E. The outpatient department handles everything non-urgent and runs on a queue that forms before opening. Accident and emergency is separate, open around the clock, and triaged by severity — which means a genuine emergency is seen quickly and a non-urgent problem taken to A&E waits a very long time behind everything worse.
Folders and records. Public hospitals issue you a folder, and you keep the number. Bring it every time. Records do not follow you between facilities, so your own copies of results, prescriptions and discharge summaries are the only continuity you have.
Admission usually needs a deposit at a private hospital, taken before or shortly after you are admitted. It can be substantial. Know how you would pay it before you need to.
Drugs may not be in stock. Even at a public hospital on NHIS, you are sometimes given a prescription to fill at a pharmacy yourself and pay for it.
Bring someone. Ghanaian practice assumes family will be present, and hospitals are far easier to navigate with a second person — someone to queue, collect drugs and ask the question you forgot.
Paying
NHIS covers a broad benefit package at accredited facilities. It does not cover dialysis for chronic renal failure, most cancer treatment, or medicines off the NHIS list.
Private insurance, usually through an employer, buys shorter queues and a choice of facility. Annual limits, dependants, dental and optical cover all vary a great deal.
Cash is entirely normal at private facilities. Consultations are affordable by international standards; admissions and surgery are not.
— NHIS, and how to register — Private health insurance in Ghana
Before you go
- Go early for a public facility. The queue forms before opening.
- Bring your Ghana Card and NHIS card, and your NHIS number written down separately.
- Write down your questions. The consultation may be brief.
- Keep your own records. Nothing else will.
The rest of the health section
This page is about hospitals. Everything else has its own guide:
— Finding a doctor — Specialists and specialist care — Pharmacies and medicines — Dentists and eye care — Mental health in Accra — Having a baby in Accra — Malaria and staying healthy