Suspended KATH CEO Appeals To Striking Health Workers To Resume Work

Suspended Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) CEO, Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo has urged the facility's striking medical staff to resume their jobs for the benefit of patients and the public.

In a statement, Dr. Baidoo thanked hospital employees for their support after his suspension but asked them to prioritize patient care.

His appeal coincides with KATH health workers going on strike in response to the Ministry of Health's decision to suspend him.

As one of Ghana's biggest referral hospitals, Dr. Baidoo expressed worries about the action's potential effects on healthcare delivery.

Dr. Baidoo declared that he was handing the problem up to the authorities in charge of monitoring it.

"I defer the outcome and directions to the supreme wisdom of the Hon. Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh (MP), and the Board of KATH," he wrote.

He further thanked the staff for supporting him during the situation.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all staff of the hospital for your show of solidarity with me during this period. I am very grateful for your support," the statement added.

The appeal comes after the suspension sparked protests and strike threats from certain staff groups, like as the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) chapter at KATH and the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association (KADA), at the hospital located in Kumasi. 

The GRNMA had previously called the suspension needless and contended that it would not address the hospital's long-standing problems, such as traffic, poor infrastructure, a lack of logistics, and resource limitations.

The association then declared that unless the ruling was overturned, it

will take strike action.