Patients stranded at KATH as doctors, nurses protest CEO’s suspension

Hundreds of patients have reportedly been left without medical attention at the Out-Patient Department (OPD) of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi after doctors and nurses allegedly declined to handle new cases in protest against the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer.

The development has caused major disruption at one of the country’s leading referral hospitals, with patients and their families struggling to access healthcare services.

The protest comes after the Ministry of Health suspended the hospital’s CEO for two weeks to allow for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the temporary closure of the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Centre.

In a statement, the Ministry explained that the suspension is purely administrative and intended to ensure accountability and transparency regarding the decision to shut down the 37-bed emergency unit temporarily.

The Ministry also appealed to medical staff at the facility to resume work, warning that the ongoing disruption is negatively affecting vulnerable patients who depend on the hospital for urgent care.

Despite the appeal, doctors and nurses are said to be maintaining their protest, leaving many patients stranded at the OPD.

Reports from JOY NEWS described chaotic scenes at the hospital, where patients reportedly waited for several hours without receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, the KATH branch of the Health Workers Union under the Trades Union Congress (TUC-Ghana) has publicly supported the actions of the medical staff, further deepening the standoff and complicating efforts to restore normal services.

The tension follows the suspension of the CEO after the temporary closure of the Accident and Emergency Centre due to congestion and operational difficulties.

Authorities have not yet announced when full hospital services will resume as pressure continues to mount on all parties to resolve the impasse and restore healthcare delivery at the facility.