The Minority Caucus in Parliament has strongly criticised the government’s decision to suspend the Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), describing the move as a reactionary response that fails to address the underlying causes of the country’s persistent “No Bed Syndrome.”
In a statement issued on June 7, the caucus argued that while every preventable loss of life must be taken seriously and investigated, placing responsibility solely on the hospital’s chief executive overlooks longstanding structural challenges within Ghana’s healthcare system.
According to the Minority, the pressure on KATH is largely the result of delayed and underutilised healthcare infrastructure projects that were intended to ease the burden on the facility and improve referral services across the middle and northern sectors of the country.
The caucus pointed to major health facilities inherited by the current administration, including the 500-bed Afari Military Hospital and the Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sewua, which they said were designed to reduce congestion at KATH. They questioned why attention had been focused on suspending the hospital’s CEO rather than accelerating the full operationalisation of these facilities.
The Minority further highlighted the Trede District Hospital and the Kokoben-Oforikrom District Hospital, both commissioned in 2024 with 100-bed capacities, emergency units, theatres and diagnostic facilities. According to the caucus, the continued limited operation of these hospitals has contributed to the overwhelming patient load currently experienced at KATH.
They maintained that the “No Bed Syndrome” is fundamentally an infrastructure and capacity challenge rather than a leadership issue, citing inadequate healthcare facilities, referral bottlenecks, workforce shortages and resource constraints as the real causes of the crisis.
As part of its recommendations, the Minority called on the government to immediately reinstate the KATH CEO pending the outcome of any independent investigation. The caucus also urged authorities to operationalise completed health facilities, particularly the Ashanti Regional Hospital at Sewua and the Agenda 111 hospitals at Trede and Kokoben-Oforikrom, to help reduce pressure on KATH.
The statement further appealed to government to address concerns raised by the Ghana Medical Association and other healthcare professionals regarding infrastructure deficits, staffing challenges and referral system weaknesses.
The Minority also criticised what it described as a growing tendency toward unilateral decision-making within the health sector and called on the Health Ministry to adopt a more consultative approach in dealing with stakeholders.
While expressing support for due process and institutional fairness, the caucus urged all parties involved to prioritise dialogue and avoid actions that could further disrupt healthcare delivery. It called on the Minister for Health to engage the Ghana Medical Association, the KATH Doctors Association and other stakeholders to resolve the impasse and restore normal services.
The Minority concluded that Ghana’s healthcare challenges require long-term planning, investment and systemic reforms rather than what it described as efforts to find scapegoats for deeper structural problems.