Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) is one of the sites where the the global RECOVERY Trial is being conducted. Enrollment has increased following the introduction of rapid test kits that detect multiple respiratory viruses within minutes.
On a humid morning in Kumasi, a worried mother paces anxiously outside a ward at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Inside, her 20-year-old son lies coughing and feverish, yet within fifteen minutes of arrival, doctors know what they’re dealing with. A compact test kit, no larger than half the size of a smartphone, has just delivered answers: Influenza A. Not COVID-19. For her, it means swift treatment. For the medical team, it means focused treatment, including avoiding unnecessary antibiotic treatment, and another potential participant for the RECOVERY Trial.
This scene, now repeated daily in Ghana’s Ashanti Region, marks improvements in how emerging respiratory infections are tackled in real time. Since 2022, the Global Health and Infectious Diseases Research Group at the Kumasi Centre of Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, KNUST, has been part of the international RECOVERY Trial, a large-scale, adaptive clinical study that started in early 2020. The RECOVERY Trial, which is sponsored by the University of Oxford, was initially designed to identify effective treatments for COVID-19, flu, and pneumonia. In 2023, it expanded to include other respiratory infections such as influenza and non-viral community-acquired pneumonia. As of July 7, the Kumasi site had prescreened 456 patients, formally screened 55 (12%), and enrolled 52 (95% of those formally screened) into the trial.
The 15-minute fix
The recent deployment of 1,200 combination rapid diagnostic kits to the various wards of KATH Emergency Medicine Directorate has transformed the pace and quality of trial operations in Kumasi. These lateral flow tests, donated by LiFact Holding, a U.S.-based biotechnology company, simultaneously detect SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, and Influenza B, all in just 15 minutes.
Before these LiFact kits, trial staff relied on PCR testing, which typically took 24 to 48 hours due to laboratory processing and logistical delays. By then, a patient might be discharged, deteriorated, or simply lost to follow-up. Now, clinicians at KATH can diagnose and recruit patients directly at the bedside.
“This is a game-changer,” said Dr. Joseph Bonney, lead investigator at KATH, who noted that the diagnostic kits have increased the volume of participants assessed for enrollment and improved the hospital’s broader respiratory screening protocols. “We can act faster, with greater clarity, and that improves care both within and beyond the study.”
“The kits have been incredibly useful in improving patient care,” shared Eudora Sackey, a physician assistant and clinical study staff member. “For example, one patient initially treated for bacterial pneumonia tested positive for influenza A using the kit. This changed the course of treatment immediately, starting antiviral medication that led to significant improvement within 48 hours.”
Often, in resource-limited hospitals, labs are overburdened, and time is a precious commodity. Having the kits distributed across key wards, the LiFact kits are used not only for trial purposes but also to support routine care, providing clarity in a region where feverish symptoms can mean anything from malaria to a common respiratory infection.
LiFact, headquartered in California, specializes in smart, high-accuracy diagnostics designed for real-world conditions, from flu seasons in the U.S. to infectious disease wards in West Africa. Their triple-pathogen test was built for exactly this kind of moment: overlapping epidemics, scarce lab capacity, and a race against time.
Strengthening capacity
Since joining the RECOVERY Trial, over 40 local clinical and research staff at KATH have completed training in the Ghana FDA Good Clinical Practice, research ethics, and data management, enhancing their capacity for high-quality research and patient care. Dr. Chris Kwaku Oppong and Dr. Divine Amenuke, senior medics on the study, expressed delight about the training.
The trial is fully regulated by the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority and monitored by KATH’s Institutional Review Board. It is part of a broader, multinational effort to evaluate treatments ranging from antivirals to immunomodulators.
Globally, the RECOVERY Trial has become a cornerstone of evidence-based care. This trial famously confirmed the life-saving effects of dexamethasone for severe COVID-19 cases, changing treatment guidelines around the world. Now, KATH is helping to write the next chapter.
A model for the region
What’s happening in Kumasi could serve as a practical model for how hospitals across Ghana, and potentially across Africa, respond to emerging infectious diseases. The Emergency Department at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital recently adopted the same rapid test kits.
As climate change and urbanization shift disease patterns, health systems need diagnostic tools that are fast, affordable, and easy to implement. The success of the LiFact deployment at KATH, including rapid, real-time diagnostics, targeted frontline training, and seamless integration into clinical trial workflows, presents a practical roadmap for effective public health preparedness. It also shows what’s possible when innovation is made truly accessible. These compact and user-friendly kits directly meet the challenge, enabling swift responses to outbreaks and significantly improving patient care.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
