Logo of the Tamale Teaching Hospital
Recent developments at the Tamale Teaching Hospital have raised serious questions about how we handle leadership, accountability, and patient care in Ghana.
The sudden dismissal of the hospital’s CEO by the Minister of Health, following a heated confrontation over a tragic patient death, is not only unfortunate—it’s symptomatic of a much deeper issue: leadership driven by sentiment rather than systems.
First, we must state the obvious: every life matters. The loss of a patient, under any circumstance, demands thorough investigation, empathy, and swift but measured action. What it does not call for is public outrage masquerading as justice, nor rash decisions that sidestep the core of the problem.
The role of a health minister is not to police hospitals with emotion, but to ensure that mechanisms of accountability are functional, fair, and free from personal bias. Yet, what we witnessed was an act of public dismissal, not based on evidence, but seemingly rooted in pride and anger. There was no proper inquiry, no independent medical review, no professional tribunal. Just confrontation and consequence.
Worse still was the rhetoric. Referring to patients as “commoners” is not just classist—it is degrading. It echoes a mindset that sees power as entitlement and public service as personal dominion. Every Ghanaian—rich or poor—deserves access to quality healthcare and the dignity that comes with it. Words matter. Especially when spoken by those in power.
There are health professionals in Ghana with qualifications beyond the clinical. Nurses with legal degrees. Doctors with advanced training in health policy, ethics, and law.
These individuals understand both the heart of care and the structure of accountability. They are the ones we should be calling into leadership, not excluding them from the conversation.
This is a call, not just for justice for one patient or one hospital, but for systemic change.
We need:
– Clear, transparent procedures for investigating hospital incidents.
– Reforms that include medical professionals in leadership roles at every level.
– Leadership that listens, learns, and acts—not reacts.
Accountability is not a performance. It is a process. One rooted in truth, not theatrics.
As citizens, as healthcare workers, and as humans, we must expect more. From our leaders. From our systems. And most importantly, from ourselves.
