Nurses and midwives at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have issued a strong warning to the Ministry of Health, threatening to join an ongoing industrial action if the suspension of the hospital's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is not reversed by 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 7, 2026.
The ultimatum was contained in a letter dated June 6, 2026, from the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), KATH Branch, addressed to the Chairman of the KATH Board. The association expressed solidarity with the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association (KADA) and other health worker groups that have already embarked on strike action in protest against the CEO's suspension.
According to the GRNMA, the two-week suspension of the CEO, reportedly carried out on the directive of the Minister of Health, is "unnecessary" and does not address the pressing challenges facing the hospital.
"The suspension is definitely not the solution to the enormous challenges confronting the hospital," the association stated, emphasizing that patient safety and quality healthcare delivery cannot be improved through the removal of the hospital's chief administrator.
The nurses and midwives highlighted the difficult conditions under which health professionals continue to work, citing severe infrastructure deficits, congestion, inadequate logistics, and persistent resource constraints.
KATH, one of Ghana's largest referral and teaching hospitals, serves patients from several regions across the country. However, the association noted that the facility has long struggled with overwhelming patient numbers that far exceed its available infrastructure, equipment, and supplies.
As part of its demands, the GRNMA called on the Ministry of Health to expedite the operationalisation of health facilities intended to ease pressure on KATH. The association also urged the government to undertake urgent retooling, infrastructural expansion, and adequate resource allocation to elevate the hospital to the standards of an internationally recognised Centre of Excellence.
Additionally, the group demanded the immediate withdrawal of the CEO's suspension, arguing that his continued leadership is critical to managing the hospital's operations and ensuring the welfare of both patients and healthcare workers, particularly those in the emergency department.
"We wish to state categorically that, effective 8:00 a.m. on 7th June 2026, Nurses and Midwives at KATH will join the strike if the directive from the Honourable Minister for Health is not reversed," the letter warned.
The letter was jointly signed by the Chairperson of the GRNMA KATH Branch, Josephine Boatemaa Asmah, and the Branch Secretary, Abraham Adu.
