Building Momentum for EECC in Ghana: A Workshop at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital
At Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, Ghana, something important is happening. Earlier this month, clinicians from across departments came together for a hands-on workshop in Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC, a global approach to saving lives through simple, timely, and effective care for critically ill patients.
Led by Dr. Ama Kwakyewaa Bedu-Addo, Senior Resident in Intensive Care at KATH’s Department of Anaesthesia & Intensive Care, the workshop was run in collaboration with the hospital’s Neurology team and the Activate Thrombolysis initiative. Together, they explored how the EECC approach (grounded in basic, universally applicable actions) can strengthen the emergency response for patients across all clinical areas.
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EECC focuses on a small set of life-saving actions: monitoring vital signs, maintaining a clear airway, providing oxygen, giving intravenous fluids when needed, and ensuring that any health worker—doctor, nurse, or clinical officer—can recognize and respond when a patient becomes critically ill.
These interventions don’t rely on advanced equipment or specialist units. They can be delivered in any hospital, anywhere in the world. For hospitals like KATH, where clinicians are caring for high volumes of emergency and acute patients every day, EECC provides a framework to ensure that no patient is left without timely, essential care.
EECC Global supports national and institutional partners to deliver this training around the world, helping hospitals and ministries embed it into standard practice. The Ghana workshop joins similar efforts in Tanzania, Burundi, Somalia, Lebanon, and South Sudan, where EECC training has already transformed care and improved survival for critically ill patients.
Interactive Learning in Action
Dr. Bedu-Addo described the workshop as “energizing and insightful,” combining theory with practice in a way that kept participants fully engaged.
Dr Bedu-Addo delivering the lectures
The day began with interactive lecture sessions — described by Dr. Bedu-Addo as “marathon-style but highly engaging” — followed by five rotating skill stations based on the core pillars of EECC:
Airway
Breathing
Circulation
Consciousness
Other processes and communication
Participants worked in small groups of around ten, moving through each station where their skills were demonstrated, assessed, and reinforced. These sessions were followed by guided clinical simulations, where teams practiced integrating EECC principles into real-time emergency scenarios, exactly the kind of teamwork and quick thinking that saves lives in critical care.
Skills Station Training in action
Building on the Momentum
The workshop was supported by a dynamic team of colleagues — including Dr. Samuel Asiedu-Koranteng (Neuroanaesthesia), Dr. Obiageli Ofungwu (Regional Anaesthesia), Dr. Anastasia Ohene (Paediatric Anaesthesia), Dr. Erasmus, and Dr. Theresah Essuman, whose input strengthened both the teaching and the spirit of collaboration.
Guided clinical simulations
Participants also connected with international EECC mentors, including Alhagie Baldeh, who shared materials and ongoing guidance via an active WhatsApp learning group.
This spirit of collaboration doesn’t end with the workshop. Dr. Bedu-Addo and her colleagues are already planning how to put EECC principles into daily practice — starting with two key improvements:
Introducing the SBAR framework for structured handovers and case reporting.
Developing a basic triage system on the wards to prioritize and stabilize patients early, based on vital signs and EECC protocols.
Both changes align with the EECC philosophy: making hospitals safer through simple, structured systems that ensure every critically ill patient receives timely, appropriate care.
A Growing Network for Lifesaving Care
For EECC Global, this workshop in Ghana represents more than a single event — it’s part of a growing movement. As Dr. Bedu-Addo reflected, “We hope to take it to other parts of Ghana starting in our own space.”
That’s how EECC grows: through motivated clinicians, local champions, and shared learning. Each new workshop strengthens the foundation for a national approach to essential emergency and critical care — one that ensures every health worker has the confidence, skills, and tools to act when a patient’s life hangs in the balance.
To learn more about EECC and access free training materials, visit www.eeccglobal.org/training