NLC orders doctors at KATH to call off strike as dispute over CEO suspension escalates
The National Labour Commission (NLC) has directed the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Doctors’ Association (KADA) to immediately end its indefinite strike and has summoned all parties involved to a hearing scheduled for June 10, 2026, as tensions over the suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer continue to disrupt healthcare services.
The dispute stems from a directive by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, instructing the KATH Board to suspend the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, for two weeks with immediate effect. The decision followed the hospital management’s June 3, 2026 announcement temporarily halting the admission of emergency cases due to congestion at the facility.
The Minister maintained that the action was contrary to instructions issued by President John Dramani Mahama.
However, the doctors’ association has defended management’s decision, arguing that the temporary suspension of new emergency admissions and coordinated referrals to other facilities were necessary to prevent avoidable deaths amid pressure on the emergency department.
Following an emergency meeting on June 5, 2026, KADA resolved to withdraw all services from 6 a.m. on June 6, 2026. In a statement signed by its Chairman, Dr Michael Leat, the association described the suspension of the CEO as unfair and warned that it could destabilise hospital administration and operations.
The association has insisted the strike will continue until the suspension is reviewed and reversed. It is also demanding clear protocols from the KATH Board on managing emergency surges, including guidelines on patient overflow and conditions under which admissions may be restricted.
Additionally, the doctors are calling on the Ministry of Health to provide clear timelines for the operationalisation of the Sewua Hospital and the Afari Military Hospital.
The industrial action has already disrupted healthcare delivery at KATH, with patients reportedly unable to access services on June 6, 2026 and some being redirected to other facilities.
KADA says the action also seeks to draw attention to long-standing operational challenges at KATH, one of the country’s major referral hospitals.
Meanwhile, in a formal summons signed by Acting Executive Secretary Dr Bernice A. Welbeck, the NLC said it became aware of the strike through media reports and determined that the action did not comply with Ghana’s labour laws.
Acting under Section 139(d) of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), the Commission ordered the doctors to call off the strike immediately, stating that it contravenes Sections 162 and 163 of the Act, which outline procedures for lawful industrial action.