Minority Backs Striking KATH Doctors, Demands Reinstatement of Suspended CEO

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has thrown its support behind the striking doctors of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), describing the government’s decision to suspend the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer as a “kneejerk” reaction that fails to address the deeper challenges confronting Ghana’s healthcare system.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June 7, the Minority said the suspension of the KATH CEO over recent concerns about bed shortages and patient congestion was unfortunate and misplaced, arguing that the longstanding “No Bed Syndrome” at the country’s second-largest referral facility is rooted in systemic deficiencies rather than the actions of a single administrator.
The statement, signed by the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, maintained that assigning blame solely to the hospital’s management ignores years of inadequate healthcare infrastructure expansion, referral bottlenecks and resource constraints.
According to the Minority, the immense pressure on KATH is largely the result of delays in operationalising key health facilities that were specifically designed to ease the burden on the hospital.
The caucus cited the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital and the Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sewua, which it said were intended to support healthcare delivery in the Ashanti Region and reduce congestion at KATH.
“It is difficult to understand why a government that inherited these critical facilities would choose to suspend a hospital CEO rather than accelerate the full operationalisation of these hospitals and strengthen referral arrangements,” the statement noted.
The Minority further questioned why the Sewua Hospital, despite being substantially completed, remains underutilised while KATH continues to struggle with severe overcrowding and bed shortages.
It also highlighted the 100-bed Trede District Hospital and the 100-bed Kokoben-Oforikrom District Hospital, both commissioned in 2024, which were intended to absorb a significant portion of the healthcare demand currently being borne by KATH.
According to the caucus, nearly two years after their commissioning, the facilities remain largely non-operational despite significant public investment.
“The persistent ‘No Bed Syndrome’ is not fundamentally a leadership problem at KATH. It is a capacity problem. It is an infrastructure problem. It is a referral system problem. It is a health workforce and resource allocation problem,” the statement stressed.
The Minority warned that suspending the KATH CEO may create public attention but would do little to increase bed capacity, improve emergency care, recruit specialist staff or strengthen referral systems.
Backing the position of the striking doctors and the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), the caucus said it respects their defence of due process, institutional fairness and professional integrity. However, it also expressed concern about the potential impact of a prolonged withdrawal of services on patients who rely on the teaching hospital for critical and life-saving treatment.
The caucus consequently called on the Minister for Health to immediately engage the GMA, the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association and other key stakeholders to resolve the impasse and restore normal medical services at the hospital.
Among its key demands, the Minority is urging government to revoke the suspension of the KATH CEO pending the outcome of any independent investigation, operationalise completed health facilities in the Ashanti Region, address concerns raised by healthcare professionals about the causes of the “No Bed Syndrome,” and accelerate the completion of stalled hospital projects across the country.
The Minority also criticised what it described as a growing tendency towards unilateral decision-making in the health sector, urging the Health Minister to adopt a more consultative and conciliatory leadership style that fosters confidence among healthcare professionals and stakeholders.
The caucus concluded that the challenges confronting KATH are merely symptoms of broader weaknesses within Ghana’s healthcare system and warned against using the hospital’s CEO as a scapegoat for longstanding structural failures.
“The health sector requires solutions, not scapegoats. The suspension of the KATH CEO may satisfy a temporary political narrative, but it does little to address the fundamental challenges confronting healthcare delivery in Ghana,” the statement said.