The Minority Caucus in Parliament has strongly condemned the government’s decision to suspend the Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), describing the move as a reactionary measure that ignores the root causes of the hospital’s congestion crisis.
In a statement signed by Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, Ranking Member on the Committee on Health, the opposition caucus argued that assigning blame solely to the hospital’s leadership overlooks decades of systemic deficiencies within Ghana’s health sector.
The caucus contended that the severe pressure and persistent bed shortages at KATH are primarily the result of delayed and abandoned health infrastructure projects across the middle and northern belts of the country.
The statement highlighted several completed or substantially completed facilities in the Ashanti Region—including the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital, the 250-bed Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sewua, and the 100-bed district hospitals at Trede and Kokoben-Oforikrom—which were designed to absorb referral pressure but remain largely non-operational.
“It is therefore difficult to understand how Government can justify suspending the CEO of KATH for challenges arising from excess demand when two fully completed 100-bed hospitals, specifically built to absorb part of that demand, remain unable to provide the services for which they were constructed,” the statement read.
The Minority raised concerns that political calculations might be influencing the delay in operationalizing these critical facilities, noting that the governing NDC may not view the Ashanti Region as an electoral stronghold.
They urged the government to provide clear answers and demonstrate that public healthcare delivery is not being subjected to partisan motives.
Characterising the government’s approach as a “Rambo-style” form of leadership defined by unilateral actions, the caucus called on the Minister for Health to adopt a more consultative and professional approach to build confidence among health stakeholders.
They also urged the Ministry to engage with the Ghana Medical Association and the KATH Doctors Association to resolve the impasse and prevent a prolonged withdrawal of services that could endanger patients.
The opposition caucus demanded the immediate reinstatement of the KATH Chief Executive Officer pending an independent investigation and called for the urgent operationalization of all stalled and completed hospital projects nationwide.
“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 concluded.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
