Doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) may go on strike following the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo.
Sources at the hospital say many doctors and other health workers are unhappy with the decision and are considering industrial action
. The leadership of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is expected to meet on Saturday, June 6, to discuss the issue and decide on the next steps.
The tension began 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 said the CEO’s decision to temporarily stop emergency admissions at the hospital went against instructions from President John Dramani Mahama.
However, staff unions at KATH have come out strongly in support of Dr. Baidoo.
They argue that the decision was not made by him alone but was agreed upon by several health authorities as a way of dealing with severe overcrowding at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency (A&E) Centre.
The Chairman of the Komfo Anokye Doctors’ Association (KADA), Dr. Michael Leat, said all labour unions at the hospital would meet to discuss the situation and decide on a response.
According to him, the unions will make their position known to the Ministry of Health after the meeting and will do so firmly and without bias.
Dr. Leat also questioned why only Dr. Baidoo was suspended when the decision involved several institutions, including the Ashanti Regional Health Administration and other hospitals in the region.
He stressed that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals who work directly with patients believed the temporary suspension of emergency admissions was the best option under the circumstances.
The controversy started on June 3 when KATH announced that it would temporarily stop admitting emergency cases because of overcrowding and pressure on its resources.
The decision raised concerns among the public because KATH is one of Ghana’s largest referral hospitals and serves patients from the Ashanti Region and many other parts of the country.
Since Dr. Baidoo’s suspension, many healthcare workers have expressed their disappointment with the government’s decision.
With labour unions expected to announce their position after Saturday’s meeting, attention is now focused on whether the disagreement will lead to a strike that could affect healthcare services at one of Ghana’s busiest hospitals.
