The Minority Health Caucus has called for the immediate reversal of the decision to remove the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr Adam Atiku, describing the action as “unlawful, void, and of no effect.”
The dismissal of the CEO on Tuesday followed an unannounced visit by the Minister to the hospital, during which he confronted staff over the deplorable state of infrastructure and equipment, including non-functional ventilators, diagnostic tools, and MRI machines. This incident was linked to a recent patient death allegedly caused by the absence of a working ventilator.
According to the caucus, the dismissal, carried out by the newly appointed Minister for Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, was done without recourse to due process and violates existing legal frameworks governing the administration of teaching hospitals in Ghana.
The concerns were expressed in a press statement released yesterday, following the announcement of Dr Atiku’s removal, which the Minister has publicly confirmed.
The statement also noted that the action raises serious constitutional, administrative, and governance concerns.
The Minority cited Section 37 (1) (e) of the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 1009), which positions the CEO as both the Chief Administrator and a member of the Hospital’s Governing Board. They further referenced Section 34 (7) of Act 525, which states that the removal of such a member must be done by the President in consultation with the Council of State.
“There is no indication that this process was followed. The Minister’s unilateral action violates the statutory safeguards and undermines the principles of administrative justice,” the statement said.
The Caucus again accused the Minister of bypassing the disciplinary procedures outlined in Sections 42 (2) (d) and 46 of the Act, which require any disciplinary issues at a teaching hospital to be addressed by the hospital’s Disciplinary Committee before any action is taken by the Board.
The Minister, according to the statement, also publicly confronted Dr Valentine Akwulpwa, a neurologist serving the Northern Region, over the circumstances of the patient’s death.
This, the caucus described as unprofessional and disrespectful.
“Rather than engage in a private and professional dialogue, the Minister chose to interrogate Dr Akwulpwa in public and in front of the media. That conduct was demeaning and inappropriate,” the statement revealed.
It further noted that Dr Atiku was not granted a hearing nor informed of any misconduct before his dismissal, a violation of the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness.
“We find the Minister’s actions to be emotionally charged, rash, and legally indefensible,” the Caucus added.
Moreover, they called on the Minister to apologise to Dr Akwulpwa and the staff of the hospital and urged health professional bodies, including the Ghana Medical Association and the Health Services Workers Union, to speak out in defence of due process.
“The sanctity of Ghana’s public health institutions must be preserved, and the demoralisation of our healthcare professionals halted,” the statement concluded.
The caucus also assured that it would pursue all legal and parliamentary avenues to ensure the matter is addressed.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
