KATH Doctors Begin Indefinite Strike Over CEO’s Suspension, Demand Reversal
Doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital have downed tools indefinitely, throwing one of Ghana’s most critical healthcare facilities into a state of crisis after the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer sparked outrage among medical staff who say the decision is both unjust and deeply counterproductive.
The Komfo Anokye Doctors Association announced the withdrawal of services following an emergency meeting on June 5, 2026, convened to deliberate on two pressing issues — the suspension of the CEO and the ongoing congestion crisis at the hospital’s Emergency Department. Members voted unanimously to commence the industrial action at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
In a statement addressed to the Chairman of the KATH Board, the association expressed deep disappointment that management’s efforts to manage an overwhelmed emergency unit had resulted in disciplinary action rather than commendation.
The doctors defended the temporary suspension of new emergency admissions and the diversion of patients to other facilities as necessary and responsible measures taken to prevent avoidable deaths at a time when the hospital’s resources were stretched to breaking point.
KADA pointed out that KATH, which serves as the primary referral centre for Ghana’s middle and northern regions, has long grappled with inadequate infrastructure and a relentless surge in patient numbers — problems the association described as systemic failures that demand urgent government investment and policy intervention, not sanctions against the administrators navigating those conditions on the ground.
The doctors say the strike will remain in force until their demands are met. Chief among these is the immediate review and reversal of the CEO’s suspension. They are also calling on the KATH Board to put in place clear and enforceable protocols for managing situations where emergency capacity is exceeded, so that clinical decision-making in crisis conditions is guided by policy rather than left to individual discretion.
Beyond the immediate dispute, KADA is pressing the Ministry of Health for concrete timelines on the operationalisation of the Sewua Hospital and Afari Military Hospital, as well as a clear roadmap for upgrading KATH and other health facilities across the Ashanti Region to relieve the mounting pressure on the referral centre.
The strike raises urgent concerns about the availability of specialist care for patients across a vast swath of the country who rely on KATH as their last resort — and places the Ministry of Health under considerable pressure to act swiftly to resolve the standoff.
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