Korle Bu doctors suspend OPD services amid lab dispute
Patients seeking outpatient care at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital were turned away on Monday after doctors at the facility withdrew all Out-Patient Department services, escalating a simmering professional dispute that hospital management has so far failed to resolve.
The Korle Bu Doctors Association (KODA) announced the industrial action on Sunday, May 3, with effect from Monday, May 4, 2026, citing what it describes as an unlawful power struggle playing out inside the hospital’s Central Laboratory, one it says is directly threatening patient safety.
At the centre of the conflict is an ongoing impasse between Laboratory Physicians and Medical Laboratory Scientists over control of the Central Laboratory. KODA alleges that members of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists have been unlawfully restricting access to the laboratory and attempting to determine who may practise within the facility. The Association is demanding that all specialised laboratory results be reviewed and validated by qualified Laboratory Physicians before being released, and that unrestricted access to laboratory systems and equipment be guaranteed for both clinical and academic purposes.
KODA has also called on hospital management to investigate what it describes as threats made against its members, and to take disciplinary and protective action to safeguard staff.
In its statement, the Association made clear that Monday’s withdrawal of OPD services may only be the beginning. “KODA withdraws all Out-Patient Services (OPD) from Monday, May 4, 2026. Escalation towards suspension of in-patient services will be communicated in due course,” it warned, a signal that the disruption could deepen significantly if the dispute remains unresolved.
The Association also used the occasion to push back against plans for a 24-hour specialist outpatient service rollout, arguing the proposal is unnecessary given that the Korle-Bu Polyclinic already provides round-the-clock outpatient care.
While acknowledging the burden placed on patients, KODA defended the action as unavoidable. “We regret the inevitable inconvenience to our patients; however, this action is necessary to ensure patient safety and the long-term stability and professional standards of the hospital,” its statement read.
Ghana’s premier teaching hospital now faces the prospect of a widening shutdown unless management moves swiftly to broker a resolution between the two groups.
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