The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has strongly defended the suspension of the Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo, insisting that the decision was justified following what he described as an unauthorized closure of the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit.
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, June 16, the Health Minister explained that the suspension became necessary after it emerged that the emergency department had been shut down without the required approval from the Ministry of Health, an action he said amounted to a direct breach of government directives on emergency healthcare delivery.
Mr Akandoh maintained that the closure violated a clear policy instruction issued by President John Dramani Mahama, which requires all health facilities to ensure that emergency cases are not turned away under any circumstances.
He stressed that the Executive has the mandate to enforce compliance and take disciplinary action where public officials fail to adhere to government policy, particularly in sensitive sectors such as healthcare.
“I do not remember anytime that when the Executive is executing punitive actions, it needed the permission of Parliament to do so,” he told lawmakers, defending the legality of the suspension.
He further reminded Parliament that the President had issued explicit instructions that no health facility should refuse emergency cases, even in situations where immediate intervention on the ground is required to save lives.
“When the President speaks, it must be implemented,” he stated, underscoring the binding nature of executive directives within the public health system.
The Minister also clarified that no individual or institution has the authority to close any section of a public health facility without prior approval from the Ministry of Health, warning that such unilateral decisions undermine national healthcare coordination and risk endangering patients.
He added that following the President’s directive, a press statement had confirmed the closure of the Accident and Emergency Unit at KATH, which he described as unacceptable and inconsistent with national policy on emergency care delivery.
The suspension of the hospital’s Chief Executive has since sparked public discussion, with the Ministry maintaining that the action was necessary to uphold discipline, ensure compliance with policy, and protect the integrity of emergency healthcare services across the country.
