Patients Stranded At Tamale Teaching Hospital As Doctors Embark On Strike, Video

• Doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital have embarked on their strike as earlier threatened
• Patients who had thronged the Outpatient Department, hoping for medical care, were left stranded after finding the consulting rooms empty
• Social media users who took to the comments section of the video have shared their views on the strike

The strike by the doctors of the Tamale Teaching Hospital came into full force on Thursday, April 22, with patients needing urgent medical care being the most affected.

A video sighted by YEN.com.gh on the Facebook page of Citi TV showed the usually busy teaching hospital this time with reduced activity.

Patients who had gathered at the Outpatient Department, hoping to receive medical attention, looked visibly frustrated as they sat along the hospital corridors,

Consulting rooms remained empty, with no doctors available to attend to patients.

The strike was in response to a controversial visit by the Health Minister, Mintah Akandoh, to the hospital on April 22, during which he criticised staff and dismissed the hospital’s CEO, Dr. Adam Atiku.

The doctors at the hospital are hence demanding an apology from the Minister for being overly critical of hospital staff in the wake of the death of a patient.

Akandoh holds a press conference

Speaking to the media, the Minister acknowledged the concerns raised by staff at the facility, especially on their working conditions.

He pleaded with the Tamale Teaching Hospital to call off their ongoing strike in protest of his conduct.

“My humble appeal to the wonderful medical doctors and health professionals at the Tamale Teaching Hospital is that I am the first person to take care of your interest. Therefore, let’s call off the strike and let’s all regroup and strategise going forward,” he said.

As part of the strike, hospital staff are not providing services at the General OPD, Antenatal Clinic, Specialist Clinic, and Paediatrics OPD.

The Ministry of Health transfered of a substantial consignment of medical equipment to the Tamale Teaching Hospital to improve healthcare delivery at the facility.

Demands by striking Tamale Teaching Hospital staff

A doctors’ union has listed logistical and infrastructural needs the hospital requires urgently.

These include reliable access to water, stable electricity, continuous oxygen supply, and the immediate provision of basic clinical supplies like gloves and gauze.

The doctors are also demanding the availability of lab reagents, ventilators for various departments, vital signs monitors, transport incubators, and repairs to critical hospital equipment.

Diagnostic and critical care tools, including a helium-free MRI machine, a CT scan with an infusion pump, mammography and fluoroscopy units, a C-arm machine, arterial blood gas (ABG) analysers, and mobile X-ray systems are among the equipment needed at the hospital.

Watch the video below:

At the time of writing the report, the video had raked in over 200 likes and 500 comments

Reactions to the strike by the doctors

Dhel Phran reacted:

“This minister should be sacked immediately. He is the cause of all these issues. He is incompetent.”

Sadat Mashood wrote:

“Man, thousands of healthcare workers are at home and jobless. This is an opportunity for the smart ones. Your negligence shouldn't cost someone their life, and when you're confronted, you turn arrogant and act like you're above accountability.”

Tanko Kala Hamza reacted:

“We have more unemployed doctors, both local and international. Let's sack all those on strike and employ new ones to ensure the change we want.”

Yaqub John Snow opined:

“This is what late Rawlings wouldn't take. People are jobless. Replace everyone who's absent and let the job continue. If you misbehave, you should be dealt with.”

Mahama appoints new Tamale Teaching Hospital CEO

YEN.com.gh reported that Dr Abubakar Bawah Abdulai, a senior official at the University for Development Studies has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

His appointment came on the heels of the dismissal of Dr Adam Atiku, who was relieved of his duties on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Source: YEN.com.gh