Nurses Join KATH Strike
The industrial unrest at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has deepened following a decision by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to join the ongoing strike action in protest against the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo.
The association announced its position in a statement issued on June 6, describing the two-week suspension imposed by the Minister of Health as unnecessary and ineffective in addressing the hospital’s longstanding operational challenges.
According to the GRNMA, the directive fails to tackle the fundamental issues affecting healthcare delivery at the facility, including congestion, inadequate logistics, infrastructure deficits and limited resources.
“The two-week suspension of the Chief Executive Officer is unnecessary and is definitely not the solution to the enormous pressure, infrastructural challenges, congestion, inadequate logistics, and resource constraints confronting the hospital on a daily basis,” the statement said.
The association warned that its members would join the strike if the suspension was not reversed.
“We wish to state categorically that effective 8:00 am 7th June 2026, Nurses and Midwives at KATH will join the strike if the directive from the Honourable Minister for Health is not reversed,” it added.
The nurses and midwives argued that quality healthcare delivery and patient safety cannot be achieved by suspending the hospital’s chief executive while the underlying structural and operational challenges remain unresolved.
They called on the Ministry of Health to expedite the operationalisation of health facilities intended to ease pressure on KATH and urged government to prioritise retooling, infrastructural expansion and improved resource allocation.
The association further demanded the immediate withdrawal of the suspension, insisting that Dr. Baidoo should be allowed to continue managing the hospital and supporting health workers who are already operating under difficult conditions.
According to the GRNMA, the emergency department and other critical units remain overstretched, making effective leadership essential to the smooth functioning of the hospital.
The association also appealed to the KATH Board to intervene and help prevent further escalation of the dispute, warning that prolonged industrial action could significantly affect healthcare services for thousands of patients.
The development comes despite an earlier directive by the National Labour Commission ordering doctors to suspend a separate strike action. With nurses and midwives now joining the protest, pressure is mounting on the Health Minister to reconsider the suspension and restore normal operations at one of Ghana’s leading referral hospitals.
