KATH doctors declare strike over Health Minister Akandoh's 'disciplinary' suspension of CEO for two weeks
Medical doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi have announced an indefinite withdrawal of services in protest against the Minister of Health's directive to suspend the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo.
According to the doctors, the minister's action, directing the hospital's Board to suspend the CEO, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, for two weeks, was unjustified and detrimental to efforts aimed at safeguarding patient care.
The doctors decided at an emergency meeting on Friday, June 5, 2026, following the suspension of the CEO.
Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo's suspension letter from the minister, dated June 5, 2026, and addressed to the Board Chairman of KATH, did not indicate whether the two-week suspension was without pay.
The Head of Public Affairs at KATH, Kwame Frimpong, is also to be investigated by the board per the minister's directive, for granting a media interview to explain KATH management's decision on emergency admissions.
The decision by the Minister of Health followed the CEO’s directive to suspend the admission of emergency cases at KATH on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.
In a letter to the board directing the suspension, the minister indicated the directive was “Pursuant to section 36 (1) of the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Act, 1996 (Act 526)."
Doctor's reaction
Last Wednesday's decision by the KATH management to temporarily suspend admission of new cases came in the wake of an overcrowded Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre, which has been struggling with severe congestion due to increasing referrals.
In a notice addressed to the Chairman of the KATH Board, the Komfo Anokye branch of the Ghana Medical Association said members had extensively reviewed recent developments at the hospital and expressed deep concern that measures introduced by management to ensure patient safety had instead resulted in disciplinary action against the CEO.
According to the doctors, the temporary suspension of emergency admissions and the coordination with surrounding health facilities were necessary clinical and administrative interventions intended to prevent avoidable deaths and protect both patients and healthcare workers amid severe capacity constraints.
The association noted that KATH serves as the principal tertiary referral centre for the middle and northern sectors of Ghana, receiving patients from more than eight regions, while continuing to operate under significant infrastructural limitations.
The doctors argued that the crisis at the hospital reflects longstanding systemic challenges within the health sector and should be addressed through policy and infrastructure interventions rather than punitive measures against healthcare leaders attempting to manage the situation.
“The current situation reflects longstanding systemic challenges that require urgent policy and infrastructure solutions rather than punitive action against healthcare leaders attempting to manage their consequences,” the statement said.
The association further condemned the Minister’s decision to suspend the CEO, describing it as “unjustified and counterproductive” to efforts aimed at resolving the hospital’s challenges.
As a result, the doctors announced a total withdrawal of services by medical doctors at KATH effective 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
The industrial action, the doctors indicated, will continue until the suspension of the CEO was reviewed and reversed, and until the hospital’s Board issues clear policies governing the management of situations where emergency capacity is exceeded.
The association is also demanding explicit guidelines on patient overflow management and the circumstances under which admissions may be restricted in the interest of patient safety.
Additionally, they are calling on the Ministry of Health to provide clear timelines for the operationalisation of the Sewua Hospital and the Afari Military Hospital, as well as the retooling of KATH and other health facilities within the Ashanti Region to ease pressure on the teaching hospital.
The doctors also pledged to engage the public and relevant stakeholders through the media to highlight what they described as the chronic mismatch between patient demand and available healthcare infrastructure and resources.
They maintained that the strike action is not intended to undermine healthcare delivery but to draw urgent national attention to concerns surrounding patient and caregiver safety, clinical governance, professional accountability and the long-term sustainability of healthcare services at Ghana’s second-largest teaching hospital.
The association has appealed to the KATH Board to urgently engage the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to achieve an amicable resolution and avert further disruption to healthcare services.
It also urged authorities to pursue sustainable solutions to the persistent overcrowding confronting the hospital.
