The Ministry of Health has ordered the immediate two-week suspension of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) after he unilaterally halted emergency admissions at the major regional facility.
The directive was issued in an official letter dated 5th June 2026, from the Ministry to the Board Chairman of the Ashanti Region-based hospital.
According to the official correspondence, the Minister invoked Section 36(1) of the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Act, 1996 (Act 526) to enforce the suspension.
The disciplinary action follows an announcement authorized by the CEO on Wednesday, 3rd June 2026, which suspended the admission of new emergency cases to KATH.
The Ministry disclosed that during a high-level meeting on 4th June 2026—attended by the Chief Director, Technical Advisor, and Legal Advisor to the Minister—the CEO admitted his actions directly contravened explicit directives from the President of the Republic of Ghana.
The CEO is required to report directly to the Minister immediately upon the expiration of the two-week suspension.
The fallout from the incident has also triggered a formal internal investigation into the hospital’s communications department.
The Ministry flagged an interview granted by the Head of KATH’s Public Affairs Unit to Channel One Newsroom regarding the admission freeze, stating that those public comments were also in direct violation of presidential orders.
The KATH Board Chairman has been instructed to investigate the authority behind the interview and determine whether it was an officially sanctioned management decision.
The board is expected to apply appropriate sanctions where necessary and submit a full investigative report to the Ministry within two weeks.