Nurses and midwives at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have threatened to join the ongoing strike action by doctors if the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, is not revoked.
In a notice addressed to the Chairman of the KATH Board, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), KATH branch, declared its support for the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association (KADA), arguing that the decision to suspend the CEO was unnecessary and would not resolve the hospital’s longstanding operational challenges.
The warning comes a day after doctors at the facility withdrew their services in protest against the suspension directive issued by the Minister of Health.
According to the nurses and midwives, the actions taken by hospital management during the recent congestion at the Accident and Emergency Centre were aimed at safeguarding patient safety and ensuring the continued delivery of quality healthcare services.
The Association maintained that suspending the CEO would do little to address the underlying structural, logistical and resource constraints facing the hospital.
“Health professionals are working under extremely difficult conditions and changing this narrative cannot be achieved with the suspension of the CEO,” the notice stated.
The GRNMA noted that KATH continues to serve as a major referral centre for several regions across the country despite increasing patient numbers and healthcare demands that have outpaced available infrastructure, equipment and logistics.
The Association therefore called on the Ministry of Health to accelerate the operationalisation of health facilities intended to ease the burden on KATH, while prioritising the expansion and retooling of the hospital and its referral network.
It also urged government to provide the resources needed to enable KATH function effectively as one of Ghana’s leading tertiary healthcare institutions.
Additionally, the nurses and midwives called for Dr Baidoo to be given the necessary support to perform his duties in a manner that protects both patients and healthcare workers, particularly those serving in the emergency department.
The Association warned that if the suspension remains in effect by 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, its members will join the industrial action already being undertaken by doctors.
“We hope that the Board of KATH will take the necessary steps to ensure peace and harmony in the hospital and avert any wide-scale industrial action that will gravely affect the delivery of health services in the hospital,” the statement said.
The dispute stems from a directive issued by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, ordering the suspension of Dr Baidoo after hospital management temporarily redirected new emergency admissions due to severe congestion at the Accident and Emergency Centre.
Both the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association have defended the decision taken by management, insisting it was necessary to protect patient lives and maintain acceptable standards of care amid mounting pressure on the facility.