Minority Caucus in Parliament has called for the immediate reinstatement of the Chief Executive Officer of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), arguing that his suspension fails to address the deep-rooted structural challenges responsible for the persistent “No Bed Syndrome” confronting Ghana’s healthcare system.
In a statement issued on Saturday, June 7, and signed by the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, the Minority described the government’s decision as a misplaced response to a longstanding healthcare crisis that extends far beyond the authority of a single hospital administrator.
The statement comes in the wake of the suspension of the KATH Chief Executive Officer following public concerns over severe congestion, bed shortages and overcrowding at the country’s second-largest referral hospital.
While acknowledging that every preventable death within the healthcare system is regrettable and warrants thorough investigation, the Minority maintained that attributing the crisis solely to the hospital’s leadership ignores years of infrastructural and operational deficiencies within the sector.
According to the Caucus, the challenges confronting Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital are symptomatic of broader weaknesses in Ghana’s healthcare delivery system, including inadequate infrastructure, weak referral mechanisms, workforce shortages and delays in operationalising critical health facilities.
The Minority pointed specifically to the Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sewua and the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital, projects initiated and substantially completed under the previous administration, as facilities that were intended to ease the growing burden on KATH.
The statement argued that government should prioritize the full operationalisation of these facilities rather than targeting hospital management for challenges arising from excess patient demand.
“It is difficult to understand why a government that inherited these critical facilities would choose to suspend a hospital CEO rather than accelerate the full operationalisation of these hospitals and strengthen referral arrangements,” the statement noted.The Caucus further cited provisions contained in the 2026 Budget Statement, which identified the Sewua Hospital among major health infrastructure projects requiring continued government attention.
According to the Minority, the government’s own policy documents acknowledge delays in the completion and operationalisation of several health projects, including hospitals, specialist medical facilities and mobile healthcare interventions intended to improve access to quality healthcare services.
The statement also raised concerns about what it described as a lack of urgency in bringing major health facilities into operation, particularly within the Ashanti Region.
The Minority questioned whether political considerations may be contributing to delays in activating healthcare infrastructure projects in the region.
“Many Ghanaians are beginning to wonder whether the apparent lack of urgency in bringing critical facilities such as the Sewua Hospital into full operation is influenced by the fact that the Ashanti Region is not considered a major electoral stronghold of the governing NDC,” the statement said.
The Caucus called on government to provide clear assurances that access to healthcare services is being guided by national development priorities rather than partisan political considerations.
The Minority also drew attention to two hospitals commissioned in 2024, the 100-bed Trede District Hospital and the 100-bed Kokoben-Oforikrom District Hospital, which it said were specifically designed to reduce patient congestion at KATH.
According to the statement, both facilities were equipped with accident and emergency units, operating theatres, maternity wards, diagnostic services and inpatient care facilities.
However, nearly two years after their commissioning, they remain largely non-operational.
“It is difficult to understand how Government can justify suspending the CEO of KATH for challenges arising from excess demand when two fully completed 100-bed hospitals, specifically built to absorb part of that demand, remain unable to provide the services for which they were constructed,” the Minority stated.
The Caucus maintained that the “No Bed Syndrome” remains fundamentally a capacity and infrastructure challenge rather than a leadership failure.
It argued that the crisis stems from years of inadequate investment in healthcare expansion, delays in operationalising completed facilities, shortages of healthcare professionals and inefficiencies within the referral system.
According to the Minority, the removal of a hospital chief executive would not create additional beds, recruit specialist doctors, equip emergency departments or resolve the increasing patient load confronting referral hospitals across the country.
As part of its recommendations, the Minority called for the immediate revocation of the KATH CEO’s suspension pending the outcome of an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding recent incidents at the hospital.
The Caucus also demanded the urgent operationalisation of the 300-bed Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sewua, comprising a 250-bed regional hospital and a 50-bed infectious disease isolation and treatment centre, as well as the Agenda 111 hospitals at Trede and Kokoben-Oforikrom.
Additionally, it urged government to address concerns consistently raised by the Ghana Medical Association and other healthcare stakeholders regarding the underlying causes of the “No Bed Syndrome.”
The statement further criticised what it described as a growing trend of unilateral decision-making within the health sector, warning that consultation and stakeholder engagement were increasingly being replaced by displays of authority that risk undermining confidence in public health administration.
The Minority, therefore, appealed to the Minister for Health to adopt a more consultative and professional leadership approach capable of fostering cooperation among healthcare professionals, hospital management and policymakers.
It also called for the accelerated completion and operationalisation of stalled hospital projects nationwide, particularly those intended to strengthen emergency care and referral services.
While expressing support for concerns raised by the Ghana Medical Association and the Komfo Anokye Doctors Association regarding due process and professional fairness, the Caucus cautioned against prolonged industrial action that could jeopardise the welfare of patients who depend on KATH for specialised medical care.
The Minority urged all parties to pursue dialogue and constructive engagement and called on the Health Minister to immediately convene discussions with doctors, hospital management and other stakeholders to restore normal operations.
Concluding its statement, the Caucus warned that the suspension of the KATH CEO risks diverting attention from the deeper structural deficiencies affecting Ghana’s healthcare system.
“The health sector requires solutions, not scapegoats. The suspension of the KATH CEO may satisfy a temporary political narrative, but it does little to address the fundamental challenges confronting healthcare delivery in Ghana,” the statement concluded.
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