Tamale Teaching Hospital Doctors suspend emergency, outpatient services

Doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) have suspended emergency and outpatient services indefinitely, citing “unwarranted attacks” from Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and Tamale North MP Alhassan Suhuyini.

The decision was made during an emergency general assembly meeting of the Doctors’ Association of Tamale Teaching Hospital (DATTH) on Wednesday, April 23. It came just hours after an earlier statement from the group condemning an incident during the minister’s visit to the hospital’s Accident and Emergency Unit on Tuesday, April 22.

“All members of DATTH have proceeded on an indefinite suspension of all emergency and outpatient services (General OPD, Antenatal clinic, Specialist clinic, Paediatrics OPD),” the Association announced.

The suspension, however, does not affect inpatient care, which will continue until patients are safely discharged.

The doctors are demanding unconditional apologies from both the Health Minister and the Tamale North MP to Dr. Valentine Akwulpwa, all medical personnel at TTH, and particularly those at the Accident and Emergency department.

“We shall resume provision of emergency and outpatient services after we receive appropriate apologies,” DATTH stated.

In addition to the demand for apologies, the association presented a list of urgent logistical and infrastructural needs to hospital management. These include reliable access to water, stable electricity, continuous oxygen supply, and the immediate provision of basic clinical supplies like gloves, gauze, cotton, face masks, syringes, cannulae, disinfectants, and plaster.

They are also calling for consistent availability of lab reagents, vital signs monitors, ventilators for various departments, transport incubators, and repairs to critical hospital equipment such as autoclave machines.

For long-term improvements, the doctors are requesting diagnostic and critical care tools, including a helium-free MRI machine, a CT scan with an infusion pump, mammography and fluoroscopy units, a C-arm machine, arterial blood gas (ABG) analyzers, and mobile X-ray systems.

The association emphasized that its members would not operate in hostile environments, citing safety concerns. They also criticized certain media outlets for what they described as false and biased reporting of the recent events, stating they would not engage with such outlets until public apologies are issued.

DATTH stated that while it remains open to continued dialogue with hospital leadership, it will “advise themselves” if there is no swift response to their concerns.