Patients seeking medical care at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) are facing difficulties as doctors have stopped working due to accommodation challenges.
Doctors cite ongoing eviction threats as a major concern, stating that the uncertainty surrounding their housing situation affects their ability to focus on patient care.
The eviction notices are part of a relocation process, forcing doctors out of their current official residences in Danyame to make room for redevelopment.
The doctors have emphasized that their objection is not to the redevelopment itself, but rather to the lack of adequate relocation arrangements.
They have made it clear that they will not return to work until the accommodation issue is satisfactorily resolved.
Meanwhile, at the hospital’s main Out-Patient-Department (OPD), numerous patients are visibly frustrated by the situation.
“I came all the way from Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region to seek medical care, but unfortunately I have to return home without being attended to because doctors are on strike. This is really frustrating”, Ishmael Owusu lamented.
Just like Ishmael, several other persons had to return home disappointed.
“I have an appointment with the doctor today, but I’ve been here for the past 3 hours without being attended to. The nurses came to tell us doctors are not working today. So I’m waiting for a new date before I go home. If this is not resolved soon, some of us might end up dying”, 62-year-old Agnes Antwi said.
The hospital management has stepped in to ensure that doctors are available to handle emergency cases.
Later today, a meeting will convene with representatives from the hospital management, the doctors’ association, the Lands Commission, and the Regional Coordinating Council to discuss and address the accommodation issue.
STORY BY ; PORTIA AKU SHIKA GAFAH
