The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has accused Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh of undermining morale among health workers and fuelling tensions between medical staff and the public, escalating a dispute linked to the suspension of the chief executive of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Dr (Med) Paa Kwesi Baidoo.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday (6 June) after an emergency meeting of its National Executive Council, the doctors’ body said the minister’s actions had contributed to growing unease within the health sector at a time of heightened pressure on major hospitals.

The criticism comes amid a widening controversy over the management of KATH, Ghana’s second-largest referral hospital, where the suspension of its chief executive officer has triggered protests and industrial action by sections of staff.

The GMA said the decision by hospital management to temporarily suspend emergency admissions earlier this month was “proper professional and administrative action” taken in line with patient safety standards.

It argued that patients were not abandoned but were instead redirected to other facilities, with support from specialists, to ease severe congestion at the Accident and Emergency Centre.

According to the association, the coordinated response between hospital management, regional health authorities and other facilities led to a significant reduction in overcrowding and a resumption of emergency admissions within 24 hours.

The Health Ministry, however, ordered the suspension of the hospital’s chief executive following the incident, a move the GMA has described as without sufficient basis.

The association is now demanding the immediate reversal of the decision and the reinstatement of the CEO within three working days.

It also expressed full support for the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association, which has withdrawn services until the suspension is lifted and emergency capacity challenges are addressed.

The dispute has drawn backing from other professional bodies, including the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, which has also defended the hospital’s management and cited chronic underfunding and infrastructure deficits.

The GMA warned that continued tensions and what it described as confrontational approaches to health sector management risk further destabilising already strained services.

It urged the Health Ministry to engage constructively with health professionals to address systemic challenges, rather than focus on punitive measures against individuals.