The Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has criticised Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh over the suspension of the Chief Executive Officer of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo, describing the decision as unfair and potentially damaging to morale within the healthcare system.
According to the former Deputy Minister of Health, the minister’s directive to suspend the KATH CEO for two weeks risks creating fear and uncertainty among healthcare administrators and frontline health workers who are already operating under difficult conditions.
Speaking in an interview on Asaase Radio, Mr. Acquah expressed surprise at the minister’s action, arguing that the challenges which led to the temporary suspension of emergency admissions at KATH were not unique to the Kumasi-based referral hospital.
“When I heard the news, I was a bit surprised by the decision taken by the Health Minister to suspend the KATH CEO,” he said. “It is not new for health facilities to occasionally turn away patients because of capacity challenges.
When such situations arise, stakeholders work together to find solutions rather than apportion blame.”
He warned that disciplinary measures against hospital administrators in such circumstances could have unintended consequences on the healthcare workforce.
“This could demoralise work attitudes and lower morale among health workers,” he stressed.
The Akyem Oda lawmaker also questioned how the query and subsequent suspension directive became public, noting that such matters are ordinarily administrative issues that should be handled through established institutional channels.
He described the widespread circulation of the documents on social media as unfortunate and suggested that the matter should have been managed discreetly while investigations were conducted.
According to him, the focus should have been on addressing the underlying challenges facing the hospital rather than publicly sanctioning its chief executive.
Mr. Acquah further took aim at the government, accusing it of failing to operationalise several health facilities completed under the administration of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He argued that instead of investing resources in projects such as the proposed 24-hour markets, government should prioritise equipping and activating completed hospitals, including facilities constructed under the ambitious Agenda 111 initiative.
“I don’t really know what is wrong with this government. Is it the case that when these hospitals are operationalised, people would give credit to the previous administration?” he questioned.
The MP maintained that many of the pressures confronting referral hospitals could be alleviated if completed health facilities across the country were made fully functional.
“What wrong did the doctor in charge of KATH do? If the place is full, what should he do?” he asked.
The controversy stems from a directive issued by the Health Minister on June 5, 2026, instructing the Board of KATH to suspend Dr. Baidoo for two weeks with immediate effect.
In a letter addressed to the hospital’s board chairman, the minister cited Section 36(1) of the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Act, 1996 (Act 526) as the legal basis for the decision.
The minister also directed the board to investigate KATH’s Head of Public Affairs, Kwame Frimpong, over comments he made in a media interview explaining management’s decision to suspend emergency admissions.
The suspension followed management’s temporary halt of emergency case admissions on June 3, citing severe congestion and capacity constraints at the hospital’s Emergency Department.
The minister’s decision has since triggered a major industrial dispute at the facility.
Doctors at KATH, under the banner of the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association, have announced an indefinite withdrawal of services in protest against the suspension of Dr. Baidoo.
Following an emergency meeting on June 5, the association described the minister’s action as unjustified and counterproductive, insisting that hospital management had acted responsibly under extremely challenging circumstances.
According to the doctors, the temporary suspension of new emergency admissions and the coordination with nearby health facilities were necessary interventions aimed at protecting patient safety and preventing avoidable deaths amid overwhelming congestion.
The association argued that KATH, which serves as the principal tertiary referral hospital for Ghana’s middle and northern belts, continues to face significant infrastructure and capacity challenges despite increasing patient numbers.
Doctors further maintained that the crisis reflects longstanding systemic weaknesses within the country’s healthcare system and should prompt urgent policy interventions rather than punitive action against administrators attempting to manage difficult situations.
Parliamentary Health Committee May Intervene
Mr. Acquah disclosed that the matter is likely to attract the attention of Parliament’s Health Committee, indicating that a formal position may soon be issued regarding the minister’s decision.
With healthcare services now disrupted at one of Ghana’s most important referral hospitals, the standoff between the Health Ministry and KATH doctors is expected to intensify pressure on government to find a swift resolution while addressing the broader infrastructure and capacity concerns confronting the nation’s healthcare system.
By 1960news.com
