The standoff at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has deepened, with the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) demanding the immediate reversal of the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, while nurses and midwives at the facility have announced plans to join industrial action in solidarity with doctors.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June 6, following an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council, the GMA described the directive by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to suspend Dr Baidoo for two weeks as unjustified and called for his reinstatement within three working days.
The suspension followed KATH management’s decision to temporarily halt new admissions at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Centre on June 3 due to severe overcrowding and pressure on available resources.
According to the Association, the hospital’s management acted appropriately and professionally in response to an emergency situation.
“The actions taken by the management of KATH were the right and proper professional and administrative decision in line with best practice in patient safety and responsible healthcare leadership across the world,” the GMA stated.
The Association explained that the temporary suspension of admissions did not abandon patients but rather ensured that emergency cases were redirected to nearby health facilities with support from KATH specialists.
It noted that the coordinated response by the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate, Regional Coordinating Council and healthcare workers resulted in a significant reduction in congestion at the emergency centre and enabled the resumption of admissions within 24 hours.
The GMA further argued that both the initial query issued to the CEO and the subsequent suspension directive “were without basis and ought not to have been occasioned.”
The Association expressed concern over what it described as actions by the Health Minister that have “directly or indirectly sought to incite the public against health workers,” warning that such developments could further demoralise healthcare professionals and contribute to incidents of violence against medical staff.
It urged the Minister to adopt a more collaborative approach in addressing challenges within the health sector.
“If such acts continue, the Association and its members will have no choice but to take remedial actions to ensure the sector does not degenerate into chaos,” the statement warned.
The GMA also endorsed the decision by the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association (KADA) to withdraw services until the suspension is reversed and measures are implemented to improve emergency healthcare capacity in the Kumasi enclave.
Doctors at KATH began a total withdrawal of services at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, demanding a review of the suspension and clear protocols for managing situations where emergency capacity is exceeded.
They are also calling for expedited operationalisation of the Sewua Hospital and Afari Military Hospital, as well as the retooling of KATH and other health facilities in the Ashanti Region.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), KATH Branch, has announced that its members will join the ongoing industrial action in solidarity with KADA and other health worker groups at the hospital.
In a notice addressed to the Chairman of the KATH Board, the Association described the suspension of the CEO as “unnecessary” and argued that it does not address the hospital’s long-standing challenges.
“The two-week suspension of the Chief Executive Officer per directives of the Minister of Health is unnecessary and is definitely not the solution to the enormous pressure, infrastructural challenges, congestion, inadequate logistics, and resource constraints confronting the hospital on a daily basis,” the statement said.
The GRNMA maintained that patient safety and quality healthcare delivery could not be achieved through the suspension of the CEO and stressed that health professionals continue to work under extremely difficult conditions.
The Association highlighted the increasing patient referrals received by KATH from across the country, noting that existing infrastructure, equipment, logistics and supplies have failed to keep pace with growing healthcare demands.
The nurses and midwives are demanding the immediate withdrawal of the suspension, urgent infrastructural expansion and resource allocation for KATH, and the accelerated operationalisation of health facilities intended to decongest the teaching hospital.
The Association further declared that, effective 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, nurses and midwives at KATH would join the industrial action in support of doctors and other health workers until their concerns are addressed.
