Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has criticised the suspension of the Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), urging the Ministry of Health to shift attention from disciplinary actions to resolving the hospital’s long-standing operational challenges.
Reacting to the development in a Facebook post, Manasseh cautioned the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, against what he described as scapegoating the hospital’s leadership for systemic failures.
“Don’t scapegoat the KATH CEO. Fix the mess. Silencing health professionals won’t solve the problem,” he wrote.
His comments come amid growing tensions at one of Ghana’s largest referral health facilities following the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, a decision that has triggered backlash from health worker unions and professional associations.
At the centre of the dispute is a looming industrial action by nurses and midwives at KATH, who have threatened to join an ongoing strike if the suspension is not reversed.
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), KATH branch, issued a strong warning in a letter dated June 6, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of the KATH Board, expressing solidarity with striking doctors and other health workers already downing tools.
The association described the two-week suspension of the CEO—issued on the directive of the Health Minister—as unnecessary and ineffective in addressing the hospital’s challenges.
“Patient safety, quality healthcare delivery and the protection of patients cannot be achieved with the suspension of the CEO,” the letter stated, adding that health professionals were already working under extremely difficult conditions.
According to the GRNMA, KATH continues to struggle with severe infrastructure deficits, congestion, inadequate logistics, and resource constraints—challenges it says have persisted over time despite its critical role as a major referral centre serving multiple regions.
The association further argued that the hospital’s current infrastructure and equipment are overstretched due to overwhelming patient numbers, calling for urgent reforms beyond administrative changes.
It outlined three key demands to the Ministry of Health, including the expedited operationalisation of planned health facilities meant to decongest KATH, urgent retooling and infrastructural expansion, and improved resource allocation to elevate the hospital to an internationally recognised centre of excellence.
Crucially, the nurses also demanded the immediate reversal of the CEO’s suspension, insisting that restoring him to office was necessary to stabilise operations and safeguard both patients and staff, particularly those working in emergency units.
“We wish to state categorically that, effective 8:00am 7th June 2026, Nurses and Midwives at KATH will join the strike if the directive from the Honourable Minister for Health is not reversed,” the association warned.
The growing standoff underscores wider concerns about structural challenges in Ghana’s health sector, with calls for systemic reform increasingly overshadowing the immediate dispute over the CEO’s suspension.
