**Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)** is Ghana's second-largest hospital and the premier referral centre for the northern half of the country — a 1,000-plus-bed teaching hospital in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, attached to the School of Medicine and Dentistry of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). **Where it is and how it began.** KATH sits on the Bantama hill in Kumasi, on the site of the old Kumasi Central Hospital. It was formally established as a teaching hospital in 1975, when the government upgraded the Kumasi hospital and linked it to the then University of Science and Technology medical school (now KNUST School of Medicine and Dentistry). The name honours **Komfo Anokye**, the legendary 17th-century priest, statesman and co-founder of the Asante Kingdom, who is said to have conjured the Golden Stool from the sky and whose sword is planted at Kumasi — the Okomfo Anokye Sword site remains a Kumasi landmark to this day. **Why it matters.** KATH serves as the referral hub for Ashanti, Brong Ahafo (now Bono, Bono East and Ahafo), the three northern regions and parts of the Volta and Eastern regions — a catchment of well over 10 million people. It is a major centre for: - Emergency and trauma care, including a busy Accident and Emergency department - Obstetrics and gynaecology, with one of Ghana's largest maternity units - Paediatrics, including the renowned Mother and Baby Unit - Neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, oncology and renal services - Specialist clinics and a large outpatient department It is also a training ground — medical students, house officers, residents and nurses pass through KATH, making it one of the two great academic medical centres in Ghana alongside Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. **Challenges.** KATH has long struggled with overcrowding, ageing infrastructure, inadequate staff numbers and chronic underfunding — a familiar story across Ghana's public health sector. The hospital's leadership has repeatedly called for expansion, and successive governments have announced redevelopment and "maternity block" projects. If you need the very latest on any current construction, funding or leadership at KATH, I don't have a verified source in front of me right now — say the word and I'll search deeper. **Practical notes.** KATH is a referral hospital, so patients are usually expected to come with a referral letter from a district or regional facility, though its A&E accepts emergencies directly. It sits close to Kumasi's Kejetia and Adum commercial hubs, and is served by the city's trotro network. As the Akan say, *"Dua korɔ gye mframa"* — one tree cannot withstand the storm. KATH is that single great tree carrying the health of half a nation; it needs the whole forest behind it.