Health minister Akandoh appeals to striking Tamale doctors to come to negotiation table
The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has appealed to the striking doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) to come to the negotiation table.
The doctors have withdrawn emergency services following the sacking of the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital of Tuesday, after the minister paid an unannounced visit to the hospital.
Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh called on doctors to return to the negotiation table, following their indefinite suspension of emergency and outpatient services.
Mr Akandoh made the appeal during a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, April 24 2025.
He expressed his willingness to engage with the doctors, describing dialogue as the only way to resolve the current standoff.
“I am prepared for us to come around the table and discuss whatever we need to discuss,” Mr Akandoh said.
“My humble appeal to my wonderful medical doctors and health professionals at Tamale Teaching Hospital is that I am the first person to take care of your interests. Therefore, let’s call off the strike and let’s all regroup and strategise going forward.”
The doctors association of Tamale Teaching Hospital (DATTH) announced the strike action on Tuesday, April 23, 2025, following an emergency meeting.
According to the association, its members would no longer attend to patients at the general outpatient departments, antenatal and specialist clinics, and the paediatric OPD. They stated that inpatient care would continue only until all admitted patients were discharged.
The strike stems from a confrontation between Mr Akandoh and Dr Valentine Akwulpwa, Head of the Accident and Emergency Department, during the minister’s unannounced visit to the facility on Tuesday.
The doctors have demanded an immediate and unconditional apology from both Mr Akandoh and the Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Mr Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini.
The association insists that the apology must be directed not only to Dr Akwulpwa but also to all staff of the Accident and Emergency Department.
The doctors have also listed a number of conditions to be met before services can resume.
These include a steady supply of water and electricity, constant provision of oxygen, sufficient quantities of basic medical items such as gloves, syringes and disinfectants, and the regular availability of laboratory reagents.
Mr Akandoh, while addressing the media, said he had no intention of showing disrespect to medical professionals.
“That would be the last thing I would do,” he stated. “But indeed, let it be said that respect is also reciprocal.”
The Minister explained that his visit to the hospital was to assess its condition firsthand. He said he was alarmed by what he saw, describing the situation as unacceptable.
“Some equipment had been broken down for six years. The state of the washrooms and the general infrastructure was not what it should be at a referral facility,” he said.
Mr Akandoh also shared a personal story about a past accident that took him to a district hospital. “I never imagined that I would one day be at Nyahini District Hospital, but I was there,” he said. “It can happen to everybody.”
