The Minority Caucus in Parliament has condemned the dismissal of Dr. Adam Atiku, Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, by newly appointed Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Minority Health Caucus described the Minister’s action as “unlawful, void, and of no effect,” accusing him of violating statutory procedures and the principles of natural justice.
They argued that the dismissal was carried out without due process as required under the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Act.
The Minority noted that the Minister’s justification—that the appointing authority owes no explanation—was authoritarian and contrary to democratic norms.
They further criticised the lack of involvement of the hospital’s Governing Board or the President, as stipulated by law.
The group also took issue with the Minister’s unannounced inspection of the facility, during which he reportedly clashed with staff over the poor state of infrastructure.
A public confrontation with respected neurologist Dr. Valentine Akwulpwa during the visit drew particular ire, with the Minority describing it as demeaning and insensitive.
Calling for the immediate reinstatement of Dr. Atiku and a formal apology to hospital staff, the Caucus urged professional health bodies and civil society to resist what they called a dangerous precedent of arbitrary ministerial action.
The Minority pledged to pursue legal and parliamentary remedies to ensure accountability and preserve the sanctity of public health institutions.
Read the full statement below:
Wednesday, 23rd April, 2025
STATEMENT BY THE MINORITY CAUCUS IN PARLIAMENT ON THE REMOVAL
OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL BY
THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH
1. The Minority Health Caucus in Parliament has received with deep concern the news
of the summary dismissal of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tamale Teaching
Hospital, Dr. Adam Atiku, by the newly appointed Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena
Mintah Akandoh. This action, which the Minister has publicly confirmed, was carried
out without recourse to due process and is a matter that raises serious constitutional,
administrative, and governance concerns.
2. According to the Minister, the dismissal is not solely based on the recent unfortunate
death of a patient at the Hospital, but rather an exercise of power which, by his own
admission, the “appointing authority owes nobody any explanation” for. This attitude is
not only authoritarian but diametrically opposed to the principles of administrative
justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
3. It is important to restate the governing legal framework for the administration of
Teaching Hospitals in Ghana. Section 37(1)(e) of the Ghana Health Service and
Teaching Hospitals (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 1009), provides that the Chief
Executive Officer of a teaching hospital shall be the Chief Administrator and a member
of the Hospital’s Governing Board. The law does not confer unilateral power on the
Minister of Health to dismiss the CEO of a teaching hospital, let alone in the manner
and under the circumstances now in issue.
4. Furthermore, Section 34(7) of the parent Act 525 stipulates that the removal of a
member of a Teaching Hospital Board, which includes the CEO, must be effected by
the President in consultation with the Council of State. The procedure adopted by the
Minister thus violates the statutory safeguards surrounding appointments and
removals at this level of public administration.
5. In addition, Sections 42(2)(d) and 46 of the Act mandate that disciplinary matters
arising at a teaching hospital must first be referred to the Disciplinary Committee,
which is required to investigate and report its findings to the Board. There is no
indication that any such procedure was invoked in this instance, and therefore the
dismissal of Dr. Adam Atiku lacks both procedural and substantive fairness.
6. We are also compelled to point out that the Minister’s actions were not only unlawful
but emotionally charged and rash. It is reported that the Minister undertook a surprise
inspection of the Tamale Teaching Hospital and, during the visit, was involved in a
heated confrontation with staff members over the facility’s deplorable state of
equipment and infrastructure. Among the critical equipment found to be non-functional
were ventilators, diagnostic and sterilisation machinery, and MRI scanning systems.
This confrontation followed the recent death of a patient, reportedly due to the absence
of a working ventilator.
7. In the course of this unannounced visit, the Minister publicly confronted a medical
officer, Dr. Valentine Akwulpwa—a highly respected neurologist, widely believed to be
the only one serving the entire Northern Region, and possibly one of fewer than four
across the Northern and Upper Regions. Dr. Akwulpwa has served the people of
Northern Ghana with dedication since completing medical school. Rather than
engaging in a private and professional dialogue, the Minister chose to interrogate him
over the circumstances surrounding the recent death of a patient—right in the
presence of the public and the media. This conduct was not only disrespectful to Dr.
Akwulpwa, but also profoundly inconsiderate to the family of the deceased. Matters of
mortality and clinical accountability must be handled with the utmost sensitivity and
confidentiality. The Minister’s public outburst was demeaning, inappropriate, and a
breach of the decorum that must govern professional interactions in healthcare. Every
well-meaning medical practitioner would rightly view this as a collective affront—not
just to Dr. Akwulpwa, but to the dignity of the entire medical profession.
8. The Minister’s public berating of Dr. Akwulpwa, and the implicit disregard for his
long-standing service to an under-resourced region, sends a chilling message to
medical professionals across the country. It suggests a climate where frontline health
workers can be publicly humiliated without cause, and where emotional, populist
grandstanding takes precedence over principled and lawful conduct. We affirm,
without reservation, that mortality review and clinical accountability must always be
done with sensitivity, privacy, and respect for professional decorum—and not as a
political spectacle.
9. Beyond the statutory violations, we find the Minister’s actions to be in breach of the
principles of natural justice. Dr. Atiku, the CEO in question, was neither granted a
hearing nor informed of any misconduct that would warrant his removal. Ghanaian
jurisprudence, including the case of Inspector James Atta v. Inspector General of
Police and Others, is replete with authority that administrative actions affecting the
rights and reputation of individuals must be preceded by fair hearing and procedural
propriety. This standard has clearly been disregarded in the present case.
10. In light of the foregoing, the Minority calls for the immediate reversal of the decision
to remove Dr. Adam Atiku from office. The action is unlawful, void, and of no effect.
We further call on the Minister to formally apologise to Dr. Valentine Akwulpwa and the
staff of the Tamale Teaching Hospital for the unprofessional manner in which the visit
and subsequent discussions were conducted.
11. The Minority Caucus further calls on the Ghana Medical Association, the Ghana
Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana,
the Health Services Workers Union, and all relevant professional bodies within the
health sector to rise in defence of due process and institutional integrity. Civil society
organisations must also speak boldly to this matter, for the protection of
constitutionalism and the independence of public service institutions is a shared civic
duty. The sanctity of Ghana’s public health institutions must be preserved, and the
demoralisation of our healthcare professionals halted.
12. The Minority remains committed to upholding the rule of law, and to defending the
integrity of our public institutions from arbitrary and unlawful interference. We shall
explore all legal and parliamentary avenues to ensure that this matter is not swept
under the carpet.
SIGNED
HON. DR. NANA AYEW AFRIYIE -RANKING – 0501287870
HON. DR. PATRICK BOAKYE-YIADOM -DEPUTY RANKING – 0244589725
HON. DR. KINGSLEY AGYEMANG -MEMBER
HON. FRANK YEBOAH -MEMBER
HON. ALEXANDRE AKWASI ACQUAH -MEMBER – 0244603554 – 0245597413 – 0208131968
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