Nurses and midwives at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have threatened to join the ongoing industrial action by doctors from Sunday, June 7, if the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, is not reversed.
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), describing the decision to suspend the CEO as unnecessary and incapable of resolving the hospital’s longstanding 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.
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According to the GRNMA, the decision taken by KATH management during the recent congestion at the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Centre was intended to protect patient safety and ensure the delivery of quality healthcare.
The Association argued that suspending the CEO would not address the structural and logistical difficulties confronting 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 nurses noted that KATH continues to receive referrals from several regions across the country despite infrastructure, equipment and logistics that have not kept pace with rising patient numbers and healthcare demands.
They called on the Ministry of Health to expedite the operationalisation of health facilities intended to reduce pressure on KATH and to prioritise the retooling and expansion of the hospital and its referral facilities.
The Association also urged authorities to provide adequate resources to enable KATH function effectively as a leading tertiary healthcare institution.
GRNMA further demanded that the CEO be empowered to carry out his responsibilities in a manner that protects both patients and healthcare workers, particularly staff working in the emergency department.
The Association warned that if the suspension remains in force by 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, nurses and midwives at the hospital will join the industrial action.
“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 follows a directive from the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, ordering the suspension of the hospital’s CEO after management temporarily redirected new emergency admissions due to severe congestion at the Accident and Emergency Centre.
Both the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and KADA have defended the decision, insisting it was necessary to safeguard patient lives and maintain acceptable standards of care.
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