Kumasi: 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.
According to Ghana Web, Afriyie noted that KATH operates as the primary referral hub for the middle and northern zones, pointing out that the hospital is dealing with extreme congestion and structural deficits. He emphasized the necessity for the government to complete stalled hospital facilities such as the Afari Military Hospital, Sawia Regional Hospital, and the Oforikrom Hospital to enhance healthcare delivery in the region.
Afriyie remarked, "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 also highlighted that the aforementioned stalled hospital facilities can be operationalised even if they are not fully completed. "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.
Afriyie expressed concern over inadequate health personnel in the region, stating that the operationalisation of the said hospitals will create the needed environment for the government to recruit more staff. He 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.