Google search engine

A Member of the NDC Communications Team, Awo Adubea Kekeli has said the Doctors Association of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (DATTH) do not deserve the apology they are demanding after a colleague had verbal exchanges with the Health Minister at the hospital.

DATTH in a statement released on April 23, 2025 demanded that unqualified apologies from the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini should be rendered to Dr. Valentine Akwulpwa, all doctors of the Tamale Teaching Hospital and staff of the Accident and Emergency department.

Kekeli believes the demeanour and posture of the doctors at the hospital was disrespectful towards the Health Minister during the heated altercation when he visited the hospital on April 22, 2025, for which reason she says an apology should not be made to them.

Speaking on TV3 New Day’s Big Issue, Thursday, April 24, 2025, Awo Kekeli said “it’s unfortunate doctors of their calibre will sit and say they want an apology.”

“If I were the minister, I would never and ever apologise to them, they don’t deserve it because of the kind of things that went on and the demeanour and the kind of posture they were even showing the Minister and the MP, ‘they want to tell us you can go to hell, this is not the first person dieing here’.

“And you want the minister to come and apologise because of this posture you people took upon yourself and the minister, I won’t get it,” she stated.

According to her, she would probably take a more drastic action if she were the Health Minister.

“If I’m a minister, I would have done maybe worse because I want the right things done,” she added.

On the contrary, Awo Adubea says the doctors should rather be apologizing to the family of the patient whose death triggered the matter.

“You don’t have machines and equipment and all that, have you been able to get to the Minister since he took office? No, you have not done that. The person has heard that things are happening, he decided to come to your place unannounced and we realized that things are bad and instead of you even calming down, they should be apologizing to the families,” she noted.

On April 23, 2025, the Doctors’ Association of Tamale Teaching Hospital (DATTH) declared an indefinite strike action with immediate effect.

“Following our earlier press release today, the Doctors’ Association of Tamale Teaching Hospital held an emergency general assembly meeting at 12 noon. The outcome of this meeting is as below: That with immediate effect, all members of DATTH have proceeded on an indefinite suspension of all emergency and outpatient services (General OPD, Antenatal clinic, Specialist clinic, Paediatrics OPD),” a part of the press release copied to the Minister of Health, Northern Regional Minister and President, Ghana Medical Association reads.

“Inpatient care shall continue for our clients currently on admission until they are safely discharged from the hospital,” they explained.

The leadership of DATTH made specific demands before they will resume duty.

1. Unqualified apologies from the Minister of Health, Honorable Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and the Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency, Honorable Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini should be rendered to Dr. Valentine Akwulpwa, all doctors of the Tamale Teaching Hospital and staff of the Accident and Emergency department.
2. We shall resume provision of emergency and outpatient services after we receive appropriate apologies.
3. The management of the hospital should ensure that the following are available in the short term for us to work effectively:
a) Constant flow of water through the taps for clinical work
b) Stable electricity supply in the hospital
c) Constant supply of oxygen
d) Provision of consumable items such as gloves, gauze, cotton, face-masks, cannulae, sutures, syringes, disinfectants, glucometer strips, plaster, etc.
e) Constant supply of reagents to ensure continuous availability of essential laboratory tests within the hospital
f) One hundred continuous vital signs monitoring devices for all high dependency units in the hospital
g) Four ventilators at the accident and emergency department
h) Four ventilators at the intensive care unit
i) Two ventilators at the pediatric emergency ward
j) Two ventilators at the neonatal intensive care unit
k) Two ventilators at the maternal intensive care unit
l) Two transport ventilators
m) Two transport incubators at the obstetrics and gynecology department
n) Service and repair the 1000L autoclave machines at the CSSD
4. That in the medium term, the following must be provided to facilitate our work:
a) An MRI scan machine that does not use helium
b) A CT scan machine that has an infusion pump
c) A mammography machine
d) A fluoroscopy machine
e) A C-arm machine at the main theater
f) ABG machines in all intensive care units of the hospital and one at the accident and emergency department
g) Two mobile x-ray machines
5. DATTH will continue to engage management to ensure that the aforementioned in points 3&4 are available for healthcare delivery. We shall advise ourselves if there is failure to achieve the above within the shortest possible time.
6. That should any of our members feel threatened at any point in the provision of services within the hospital, they shall immediately remove themselves from such hostile environment for their own safety.
7. That all media houses that released false and biased reportage of the incident at the TTH accident and emergency during the health minister’s visit on 22/04/2025 should render apologies to DATTH on their platforms. DATTH shall not engage these media houses until this is done.”

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR