The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called on the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to put an end to scapegoating workers and instead prioritise addressing the critical challenges crippling public healthcare delivery across the country.
GMA General Secretary, Dr. Richard Selormey, in an interview with JoyNews, noted that scapegoating frontline workers for systematic failures is not the best.
His comment follows what the doctors say was the “demeaning and unacceptable treatment” of a senior colleague by the Minister of Health during the latter’s recent official engagements at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
An altercation that ensued during the engagement has since led to the dismissal of the CEO of the Teaching Hospital.
Meanwhile, the dismissal has prompted doctors at the hospital to suspend emergency and outpatient services indefinitely.
Backing the doctors’ decision, the GMA General Secretary highlighted the frustrations of health professionals working under dire conditions.
“You have a doctor using his own money to fund water for emergency services — as if he’s the MP or Minister responsible. This is unacceptable. We need to stop scapegoating and gaslighting frontline workers, blaming them for deep-rooted systemic failures that are beyond their control.”
Dr. Selormey criticised the Minister’s confrontational approach, saying such matters should be addressed respectfully and privately.
He further pointed out that junior doctors are alarmed by the public humiliation of their senior, questioning what the future holds for them if their leader can be treated in such a manner.
“Tamale Teaching Hospital has a boardroom. Disciplinary or administrative issues can be handled in camera. There’s no need for public shaming — it only demoralises the workforce,” he argued.
He also emphasised that health workers cannot perform miracles in the absence of essential medical equipment, noting that “If a ventilator is unavailable, no amount of pressure on the head of department can change that in the moment. It’s not his job to procure it. It’s a systemic issue, and it’s unfair to burden individuals for institutional shortcomings.”
Dr. Selormey therefore urged the government to shift focus from blame to solutions.
“Let’s identify the systemic problems and work together to resolve them. Health professionals are giving their all, often at the cost of their own mental and emotional wellbeing. What they need is support, not scapegoating,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, the Health Minister has appealed to medical doctors and health professionals at the Tamale Teaching Hospital to call off their ongoing strike and return to the negotiation table for the sake of patients and the broader healthcare system.
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