Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has criticised the suspension of the Chief Executive Officer of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, urging Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh to focus on resolving the hospital’s longstanding challenges rather than placing blame on its leadership.
Reacting to the suspension, Manasseh argued that removing the CEO would not solve the deep-rooted problems confronting the facility.
“Don’t scapegoat the KATH CEO. Fix the mess. Silencing health professionals won’t solve the problem,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
His comments come amid growing tensions at the Kumasi-based referral hospital, where nurses and midwives have threatened to join an ongoing strike action if the suspension is not reversed.
The KATH branch of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association has given the government until 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, 2026, to withdraw the suspension directive.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the KATH Board and dated June 6, 2026, the association expressed solidarity with the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association and other health worker groups already engaged in industrial action.
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.
According to the nurses and midwives, KATH continues to grapple with severe infrastructure deficits, congestion, inadequate logistics and limited resources, all of which have placed enormous pressure on healthcare workers and affected service delivery.
“Patient safety, quality healthcare delivery and the protection of patients cannot be achieved with the suspension of the CEO,” the association stated.
The GRNMA noted that KATH remains one of Ghana’s largest referral and teaching hospitals, serving patients from several regions across the country. However, the hospital’s infrastructure, equipment and supplies have not kept pace with the increasing number of patients seeking care.
The association argued that healthcare professionals are already operating under difficult conditions and warned that suspending the CEO does little to address the real issues affecting patient care.
The nurses and midwives outlined three major demands to the Ministry of Health:
- Fast-track the operationalisation of health facilities intended to decongest KATH.
- Provide urgent retooling, infrastructural expansion and adequate resources to transform the hospital into an internationally recognised Centre of Excellence.
- Reverse the suspension of the CEO to allow him to continue managing the hospital and addressing operational challenges, particularly in the emergency department.
The association warned that its members would withdraw their services if the suspension remains in place.
“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 letter said.
The statement was signed by KATH GRNMA Branch Chairperson Josephine Boatemaa Asmah and Secretary Abraham Adu.
The dispute has intensified calls for government intervention, with health professionals insisting that addressing KATH’s infrastructure and resource constraints should take precedence over administrative sanctions.
