KATH Doctors withdraw services over 2-week suspension of CEO amid tensions with Health Minister

Josephine Amuzu 13:20 - 06 June 2026

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KATH doctors have begun an indefinite strike, demanding the reinstatement of the suspended CEO, clear emergency care policies, and urgent action to ease overcrowding at the hospital.

Medical doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have announced an indefinite withdrawal of services, citing worsening congestion at the hospital, concerns over patient safety, and the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer.

The industrial action, declared by the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association (KADA), takes effect from 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026, following an emergency meeting held on Friday.

But beyond the suspension of the CEO, doctors say the strike is intended to draw national attention to what they describe as a long-standing healthcare crisis at Ghana’s second-largest teaching hospital.

In a notice addressed to the Chairman of the KATH Board, doctors argued that recent decisions by hospital management — including the temporary suspension of new emergency admissions were necessary measures to protect lives amid overcrowding in the hospital’s Emergency Department.

According to KADA, the move to redirect emergency cases to nearby facilities was a clinical and administrative decision taken to maintain safe patient care under severe pressure.

Doctors expressed concern that instead of addressing the conditions that led to the temporary halt in emergency admissions, management had been met with disciplinary action.

The association described the Minister of Health’s decision of suspending of the hospital’s CEO, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo as “unjustified and counterproductive.”

KADA argued that KATH continues to operate under severe infrastructure constraints despite serving as the main referral hospital for Ghana’s middle and northern belts.

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 association said.

The doctors say the industrial action will continue until three key demands are met.

First, they want the suspension of the KATH CEO reviewed and reversed.
Second, they are demanding clear hospital policies on how emergency overcrowding should be handled, including guidance on patient overflow and when admissions may be restricted in the interest of safety.

Third, they want the Ministry of Health to provide timelines for the operationalisation of the Sewua Hospital and Afari Military Hospital, as well as plans to retool KATH and other hospitals in the Ashanti Region to reduce pressure on the facility.

Despite the strike, KADA insists the action is not aimed at disrupting healthcare delivery. The association said the decision is meant to draw urgent attention to issues affecting patient and caregiver safety, clinical governance, and the sustainability of healthcare delivery at the facility.

Doctors also called on the KATH Board to urgently engage the Ministry of Health and relevant stakeholders to resolve the matter and prevent prolonged disruption of medical services.

The strike raises fresh concerns over healthcare access in the Ashanti Region, where KATH remains a major referral centre for complicated and emergency medical cases.

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