Doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) are signalling the possibility of industrial action following the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, over the temporary suspension of emergency admissions.
Reports indicate that growing dissatisfaction among medical staff could culminate in a strike action, with the leadership of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) expected to meet on Saturday, June 6, to assess the situation and determine the next line of action.
The development follows heightened tensions at Ghana’s second-largest referral facility after the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, directed the KATH Board to suspend Dr Baidoo for two weeks with immediate effect.
In a letter dated June 5, 2026, the Minister stated that the CEO’s decision to announce a temporary suspension of emergency admissions contradicted directives issued by President John Dramani Mahama.
However, labour unions at the hospital have thrown their support behind Dr Baidoo, insisting that the decision was not made unilaterally but was part of a coordinated strategy agreed upon by health authorities to address severe congestion at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency (A&E) Unit.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM on Friday, June 5, 2026, Chairman of the Komfo Anokye Doctors’ Association (KADA), Dr Michael Leat, revealed that the hospital’s labour unions would soon meet to decide on an appropriate response.
“All the unions in KATH will be meeting, and in due course, you will hear our response, and it will be very strict. We will make our views known to the Health Ministry without sentiment after the meeting,” he said.
Dr Leat questioned the basis for suspending only the hospital’s CEO when, according to him, the decision involved several stakeholders across the health sector.
“It was a decision of the Ashanti Regional Health Administration, KATH, and all the other hospitals. Why are all the other people not suspended?” he questioned.
He further argued that frontline healthcare professionals considered the temporary suspension of emergency admissions necessary under the prevailing circumstances.
“We, as professionals—nurses, doctors, pharmacists—who are at the frontline of treating patients, felt that was the best decision to make,” he stated.
The controversy stems from KATH’s June 3 announcement that it would temporarily suspend emergency admissions at its A&E Centre due to overcrowding and mounting operational pressures.
The decision sparked public concern given the hospital’s critical role as a major referral centre serving the Ashanti Region and several other parts of the country.
Since then, the suspension of Dr Baidoo has drawn criticism from sections of the medical community. With labour unions expected to communicate their position after Saturday’s meeting, attention is increasingly focused on whether the impasse could escalate into industrial action, potentially affecting healthcare delivery at one of the country’s busiest hospitals.
