What happened
On April 19, 2025, social media reports broke that a patient who had been referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) passed only a few hours after arriving as a result of hospital personnel incompetence.
Online users were incensed by the report and accused the hospital of medical malpractice, and it soon acquired popularity.
Following the tragedy, there has been heightened public concern and discussion about Ghana’s emergency healthcare system.
Hospital response
On Monday, April 21, 2025, the administration of Tamale Teaching Hospital released a formal statement in reaction to the growing criticism.
The hospital acknowledged the suffering caused by the occurrence and offered its sympathies to the family of the deceased. The institution, however, vehemently refuted claims of carelessness.
The statement said that the patient needed a specialist medical procedure that TTH is not currently capable of providing and that they had been recommended from another clinic.
Furthermore, at the time of the patient’s arrival, all four of the intensive care unit’s beds—which serve the whole Northern Ghana region—were apparently occupied.
“We understand the public’s concern and the need for answers,” the statement read. “We respectfully urge all stakeholders to remain calm and avoid drawing premature conclusions.”
Since then, TTH has started an internal investigation to find out all the details of the patient’s demise. At the end of the investigation, management has promised to release the results.
Minister of Health’s visit
Following the issue, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, made an urgent working visit to the hospital on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in order to investigate the situation and obtain firsthand information.
The visit came after a widely shared social media post accusing hospital employees of carelessness. The Ministry of Health’s Public Relations Officer, Isaac Baah Ofei, stated that “The Hon. Minister left Accra on Tuesday morning to receive first-hand information in relation to the death.”
Tensions during the visit
Tensions between the minister’s delegation and hospital management were intense during the minister’s visit. Some hospital personnel tried to defend their behavior during heated confrontations that were captured on camera during the tour.
Some of the tape showed the minister condemning the hospital’s administrators for what he called inadequate reception management and poor communication following the incident.
CEO dismissal
After the visit, the minister declared that Dr. Adam Atiku, the hospital’s CEO, would be fired immediately. “I have formally sacked the CEO of the Tamale Teaching Hospital with immediate effect,” Akandoh said in a social media post that Joy News used to authenticate the dismissal.
The decision was made in response to mounting dissatisfaction with TTH’s declining healthcare delivery, where a number of critical medical devices are allegedly out of commission even though suppliers have been fully paid.
For continuous updates on this developing story, stay tuned to Ekuzoanews.com
Source: GhanaWeb