Tamale Teaching Hospital CEO Adam Atiku Sacked Following Controversial Visit by Health Minister

• The Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr. Adam Atiku, has been sacked
• Atiku's sacking followed reports of alleged negligence that led to the recent death of a patient
• The decision came after the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, visited the hospital unannounced

The Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr. Adam Atiku, has been dismissed following reports of alleged negligence that led to the recent death of a patient.

Citi News reported that the decision came after the Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, visited the hospital unannounced on April 22.

His controversial visit was part of a broader effort to assess the challenges facing healthcare delivery in the Northern Region.

Videos from the visit have gone viral, showing the minister engaged in heated confrontations with hospital staff.

Speaking during the visit, Akandoh expressed serious concern over the number of idle medical machines, despite payments being made to suppliers.

Addressing plans to resolve the hospital’s equipment issues, he said any action from the Ministry would be informed by the priorities set by hospital management.

He urged residents to continue using the hospital’s services, assuring them of improved healthcare delivery.

“When we finish with them, we will all think through it, because I can not do it all alone, I have to involve them, and we are thinking through it together. Everybody should remain calm and let us continue to patronise the facility.”

Atiku took over as CEO in 2022 after previously serving as the Director of Medical Affairs.

Before taking the role, he was also a practising nephrologist, physician, and senior lecturer at the University of Development Studies School of Medicine.

Atiku holds a joint master’s degree in Health Professions Education from the Suez Canal University, Egypt and the University of Maastricht, Netherlands.

His research interest is in understanding the causes and epidemiology of kidney disease in Ghana, especially glomerular diseases and the genetics of kidney diseases.

Past troubles of the Tamale Teaching Hospital

In 2023, the shortage of pediatric dialysis machines and consumables resulted in the death of 15 children.

The dire situation has compelled healthcare workers to resort to using adult machines, posing an extreme risk to the lives of vulnerable young patients.

The Tamale Teaching Hospital suffered a medical supply shortage in 2021.

The hospital's management said the facility would not be able to conduct surgeries due to the lack of essential supplies and water.

In July 2024, an oxygen supply shortage hit the Tamale Teaching Hospital, which is the largest referral centre in northern Ghana.

The shortage was due to the shutdown of the facility’s oxygen plant because of a faulty engine.

Korle Bu clashes with Akandoh

YEN.com.gh reported that the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital clashed with the Akandoh over a faulty elevator in September 2024, back when he was the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Health Committee.

Akandoh was prevented by the authorities at the Department of Surgery at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital from carrying out an unannounced inspection.

Subsequently, in a Facebook post, the hospital’s management said it repaired the elevator.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh