Doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) have called off their strike after two days following intervention by the Overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Abukari II.
A high-level delegation dispatched by the Yaa Naa, led by Zangbalun Naa Dr. Yakubu II, Chief of the Zangbalun Traditional Area, met with both the hospital’s management and representatives of the Doctors Association of Tamale Teaching Hospital (DATTH) on Friday, April 25.
On the back of this meeting, emergency services have resumed at the referral facility, which serves the northern sector, Joy FM’s Northern Regional Correspondent Martina Bugri reported.
However, the doctors are still demanding an apology from Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh before they fully resume work to offer health services at the Outpatients Department and the other units of the hospital.
At the most recent meeting, Zangbalun Naa Dr. Yakubu II said:
“As a neutral facilitator, I will convey your concerns to the minister and engage him to take the necessary steps to address your grievances. We implore you to consider the lives hanging in the balance.
“We urge you in the interim to find a way to ensure the continuity of emergency service. We’re willing to facilitate a meeting with your representatives and the minister to discuss the way forward.”
On behalf of the hospital, Dr. Salifu Alhassan Tiah, Director of Pharmacy at the hospital, urged his colleagues to consider the intervention of the traditional leader.
“I want to appeal to colleagues that, as we are here, if there is any difficulty with our subsistence here, the ultimate place we will go to is his royal Highness, and if he is here, we have nothing to do but to accord this delegation the highest of respect, so we plead that we should all do well to take to heart the word they have for us,” he appealed.
The doctors downed their tools, citing a hostile working environment, a lack of basic medical supplies, and what they describe as an insult to their dignity by senior government officials.
The strike was triggered by the dismissal of the TTH’s CEO, Dr Adam Atiku, by the minister over alleged mismanagement and medical negligence leading to a patient’s death at the hospital.
The minister’s visit was intended to assess the facility’s current state and gather first-hand information regarding the alleged negligence that resulted in the death of a patient referred to the hospital weeks earlier.
The deceased, Bavug Salim, was rushed to the Emergency Ward’s red zone in an unconscious state but was allegedly left unattended for several hours without explanation, leading to his death.
During the visit, a medical officer, Dr Valentine Akwulpwa, attempted to explain the circumstances surrounding the death, but the minister found the explanation unsatisfactory.
The minister also expressed dissatisfaction with the hospital’s overall condition and resource management, ultimately leading to the CEO’s dismissal.
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