Dr Okoe Boye gives Akandoh ‘free advice’

Kwabena Mintah Akandoh [L] and Dr Okoe Boye

Former Minister of Health, Dr Okoe Boye, has weighed in on the strike action by doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, citing a hostile working environment, lack of basic medical supplies, and what they describe as an insult to their dignity by top government officials.

In a statement released after an emergency general assembly meeting held at noon on Tuesday, the Doctors’ Association of Tamale Teaching Hospital (DATTH) announced that its members would no longer offer services at the General OPD, Antenatal Clinic, Specialist Clinic, and Paediatrics OPD following an altercation during the Minister of Health’s visit to the hospital on April 22, 2025.

They demanded unqualified apologies from the Health Minister and Tamale North MP, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, to Dr. Valentine Akwulpwa, the entire medical staff, and specifically the team at the Accident and Emergency Department.

The minister subsequently donated medical items to the hospital and appealed to the doctors to call off their ongoing strike and return to the negotiation table for the sake of patients and the broader healthcare system.

Commenting on the issue during a panel discussion on Asempa FM, Dr. Okoe Boye advised his successor, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to invite the leadership of the striking doctors to a meeting in Accra to address the issues.

“I called my brother Akandoh, but I couldn’t reach him. I will give him free advice—this problem can be solved in just 10 minutes. The way to solve this problem is simple; the doctors are our siblings. Honourable Akandoh, you don’t mean evil. Instead of saying you have presented items, call the leadership of the Doctors Association of the Tamale Teaching Hospital. You are a minister; just invite them to Accra. Call the Ghana Medical Association too, for a meeting, and meet them in your conference room. There will be no argument. The agenda is that we are all brothers; let us allow peace to reign.

“You know that people want recognition; you can say sorry without actually saying sorry. You don’t need a formal letter of apology in this matter. A minister has paid for the airfare and flown the doctors all the way to Accra; this should set the tone for an amicable settlement. I beg him, he should invite them to Accra, and he can even let his deputy do the invitation. Korle Bu has a different environment, but during my time there, informal routes solved more problems than formal ones.”

This is wisdom 👌 pic.twitter.com/KZy2cuzmk2

— Harrydarling💖 (@AcheampongHarry) April 25, 2025

KA

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