[6][7] Korle-Bu, which means in the Ga language "the valley of the Korle Lagoon",[7] was established as a general hospital to address the health needs of the indigenous people under the administration of Sir Gordon Guggisberg, then Governor of the Gold Coast[8] Population growth and the proven efficacy of hospital-based treatment caused a rise in hospital attendance in Korle-Bu.

The government accepted and implemented the recommendations of the task force which resulted in the construction of new structures, such as the Maternity, Medical, Surgical and Child Health Blocks.

Clinical and diagnostic departments of the hospital include Medicine, Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pathology, Laboratories, Radiology, Anaesthesia, Surgery, Polyclinic, Accident Centre and the Surgical/Medical Emergency as well as Pharmacy.

All these are part of the grand plan to offer a wider spectrum of specialist care to position Ghana as the hub of health tourism within the West Africa Sub region.

[11][12] On 29 September 2023, the government through the ministry of health summoned the management of the Hospital over the yet to be implemented increament of the cost of dialysis.

This was aimed at improving and supporting accurate imaging and sensing of diseases[14] The hospital has a very large campus and has expanded to host a number of institutions.