BY Nadia Ntiamoah
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has mounted a strong defence of the suspended Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo, demanding the immediate withdrawal of a directive issued by Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh for his suspension and warning that continued actions against health professionals could plunge the health sector into further crisis.
The Association’s position was announced following an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council on Saturday, June 6, 2026, amid escalating tensions between medical professionals and the Ministry of Health over the management of congestion at Ghana’s second-largest teaching hospital.
At the centre of the dispute is a decision by KATH management on June 3, 2026, to temporarily suspend the admission of new emergency cases due to severe overcrowding at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Centre.
The hospital, which serves as the main tertiary referral facility for the middle and northern belts of Ghana, has in recent years struggled with increasing patient referrals from more than eight regions while operating under significant infrastructure constraints.
The temporary suspension was intended to allow authorities to decongest the emergency centre and improve patient safety.
However, the move drew criticism from the Ministry of Health, which subsequently issued a query to the hospital’s management.
The situation escalated further when the Health Minister, in a letter dated June 5, 2026, directed the Board of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to suspend Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo for two weeks over the decision.
The suspension immediately triggered outrage among doctors at the facility, who argued that management had acted professionally and responsibly in the interest of patient safety. The KATH doctors subsequently declared immediate strike action.
In its statement, the Ghana Medical Association maintained that the decision by KATH management was consistent with international best practices in healthcare administration and emergency care management.
According to the Association, the temporary suspension of admissions was not an abandonment of patients but rather a coordinated intervention designed to ensure that emergency cases received timely care at alternative facilities within the Ashanti Region.
The GMA noted that KATH worked closely with the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate, the Regional Coordinating Council, other health facilities, and medical specialists to redirect patients to hospitals capable of providing immediate care.
The Association said those coordinated efforts successfully reduced congestion at the emergency centre and enabled the resumption of admissions within 24 hours.
“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 further argued that neither the initial query nor the subsequent suspension directive was justified, insisting that the CEO should not be punished for taking measures aimed at protecting patients and health workers.
Consequently, the National Executive Council of the GMA has demanded that the suspension directive be withdrawn immediately and that Dr. Baidoo be reinstated within three working days.
The Association also threw its full support behind the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association, which announced a total withdrawal of medical services effective 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
According to the GMA, the strike action will continue until the suspension is reversed and clear policies are established to guide the management of situations where hospitals exceed their emergency care capacity.
Beyond the immediate dispute, the GMA expressed deep concern about what it described as a growing pattern of actions by the Health Minister that have directly or indirectly incited public hostility against healthcare workers.
The Association warned that such actions risk demoralising health professionals and could contribute to rising incidents of aggression and violence against medical staff across the country.
It therefore called on the Minister to abandon what it described as a hostile and confrontational approach and instead engage constructively with healthcare professionals to improve service delivery and morale within the 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 cautioned.
The current impasse has also reignited longstanding concerns about the pressure facing healthcare facilities in the Ashanti Region.
Doctors have repeatedly argued that overcrowding at KATH is a symptom of broader systemic challenges, including delays in operationalising major healthcare projects such as the Sewua Hospital and the Afari Military Hospital.
Medical professionals are therefore calling on government to provide clear timelines for the completion and full operationalisation of those facilities, as well as the retooling and expansion of KATH and other hospitals in the region.
Healthcare workers believe these interventions are necessary to ease the enormous burden on KATH, which continues to function as one of the country’s most important referral centres.
The statement, signed by GMA President Prof. Dr. Ernest Yorke, urged members of the Association to remain calm while leadership continues discussions aimed at resolving the dispute.
