KATH Strike: Nurses demand action on stalled health facilities in Ashanti Region

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Jonas Afriyie, has publicly urged the government to operationalise unfinished health facilities in the region and recruit more nurses to bridge the healthcare gap permanently, rather than applying punitive measures.

His comments come against the backdrop of the industrial strike at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) entering its third day, resulting in severe disruption of healthcare delivery and leaving hundreds of patients stranded.

Speaking in an interview, Afriyie said KATH operates as the primary referral hub for the middle and northern zones, noting that the hospital is dealing with extreme congestion and structural deficits.

He stressed the need for the government to complete stalled hospital facilities such as the Afari Military Hospital, Sawia Regional Hospital, and the Oforikrom Hospital to bolster healthcare delivery in the region.

“We don’t want to be part of the politics. When emergencies happen in Accra, there are alternatives; in the Ashanti Region and the northern sector, there are no alternatives. So Komfo Anokye is take it or leave it. We think that immediately, whatever it takes for the government to operationalise these facilities will be very helpful,” he said.

He noted that the aforementioned stalled hospital facilities can be operationalised even if they are not one hundred per cent complete.

“We know that in operationalising a hospital, sometimes not all the things are even complete, but we go in and work for like a year, and the full operationalisation will be achieved," he said.

He again expressed concern over inadequate health personnel in the region, saying the operationalisation of the said hospitals will create the needed environment for the government to recruit more staff.

Jonas Afriyie further explained that the decision that led to the KATH CEO's suspension was a clinical safety decision taken by the emergency team, arguing that the CEO should not have been punished.

"The grounds as of yesterday were not good for us to call off the strike, but we are hoping that things will change so we can rescind our strike action," he said.

According to him, the professional body took what it described as a sound clinical decision, and this has landed the CEO in undeserved trouble.