Tamale Teaching Hospital Doctors withdraw emergency, OPD services amid showdown with Health Minister
The Doctors Association of Tamale Teaching Hospital (DATTH) has embarked on an indefinite suspension of all emergency and outpatient services, escalating tensions over deep-rooted operational challenges and a heated confrontation involving the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
The decision came after an emergency meeting on April 23, 2025, and was immediately put into effect. In a statement released late Tuesday, DATTH said its members would no longer provide care at general outpatient departments (OPD), antenatal clinics, specialist clinics, and the paediatric OPD.
Despite this withdrawal, the association has pledged to continue inpatient care until all currently admitted patients are safely discharged.
The doctors’ protest was sparked by an alleged altercation between the Health Minister and Dr Valentine Akwulpwa, Head of the Accident and Emergency Department, during a visit to the facility on Tuesday. The incident has provoked widespread discontent among medical staff.
DATTH is demanding an immediate and unconditional apology from both the Minister of Health and the Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini. According to the association, the apology must be directed not only to Dr Akwulpwa but also to the entire staff of the Accident and Emergency Department.
Alongside their call for public contrition, the doctors have outlined a comprehensive list of short- and medium-term demands that must be addressed before any services resume.
In the short term, the association is calling for a stable flow of water and electricity, consistent provision of oxygen, and the uninterrupted supply of basic medical consumables including gloves, masks, syringes, gauze, and disinfectants. They also demand reliable access to laboratory reagents.
Further, DATTH is requesting the installation of 100 continuous vital signs monitors in the high-dependency unit, 14 ventilators across ICU, paediatric, neonatal, and maternal wards, two transport ventilators, two transport incubators, and the repair of a 1,000-litre autoclave machine at the Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD).
Medium-term requirements include the procurement of high-end diagnostic equipment such as a non-helium MRI machine, a CT scanner with infusion pump, mammography and fluoroscopy machines, C-arm machines, arterial blood gas (ABG) analysers for ICUs and emergency wards, and two mobile X-ray units.
DATTH has warned that continued inaction could lead to an escalation in industrial action. Nonetheless, the association emphasized its commitment to working with hospital management to resolve the impasse and restore full medical services.
In a parallel development, President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Dr Abukari Bawah Abdulai as the new Chief Executive Officer of the hospital. This comes on the heels of the dismissal of former CEO Dr Atiku Adam on Tuesday amid mounting allegations of mismanagement and a fatal case of medical negligence.
The controversy intensified when Health Minister Akandoh paid an unannounced visit to the facility to inspect its conditions. What he found was a grim picture: dysfunctional medical equipment, unsanitary washrooms, and crumbling infrastructure.
“Some of the equipment has not worked for as long as six years,” Akandoh said during the visit, “forcing patients to depend on expensive private diagnostics and care.”
He did not mince words about the state of the hospital, describing it as “unacceptable and disgraceful,” especially for a major referral facility meant to serve the entire Northern Region and beyond.
