The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) in the Ashanti Region has defended the actions taken by management and staff of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) during the recent bed shortage crisis.

It insists that no one should be punished for following internationally accepted emergency procedures.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GRNMA, Jones Afriyie-Anto, explained why the association decided to suspend its industrial action after interventions from key stakeholders, including the Asantehene and the hospital’s governing board.

The controversy erupted after the suspension of the KATH CEO, Dr Paa Kwesi Baidoo, following public concerns over the hospital’s handling of severe congestion and the “No Bed Syndrome” that has plagued the facility.

The decision sparked strong reactions from healthcare workers and professional groups, who argued that the sanctions targeted the wrong person and failed to address deeper systemic challenges.

Mr Afriyie-Anto said the association decided to suspend its strike because of the assurances it received from traditional and political authorities.

“We suspended it because, first of all, we are in the Ashanti Region, and where the message came from is such that you have to listen,” he said.

“The Asantehene himself and the board of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and so it is such that you have to listen.”

According to him, additional assurances from the Ashanti Regional Minister and the Regional Coordinating Council helped convince the association to back down temporarily.

“The assurances were good, and we hope that it will be tackled,” he said.

Beyond the labour dispute, Mr Afriyie-Anto strongly defended the hospital’s decision to declare what health professionals describe as a critical incident during the period of overwhelming patient numbers.

He argued that the action was not unusual and consistent with accepted emergency care protocols worldwide.

“What happened at the hospital was nothing unusual,” he said.

“It is the right thing to do. It is the internationally accepted practice for nurses and midwives and other emergency teams at any emergency room to do that.”

According to him, healthcare facilities are expected to activate emergency protocols when patient numbers exceed available resources.

“When you are overwhelmed with the cases, you declare what we call critical incidents, and that is exactly what was done,” he explained.

“And so nobody should be punished for it.”

Mr Afriyie-Anto also challenged attempts to hold the hospital’s Chief Executive solely responsible for decisions that originated from clinical professionals.

He noted that while the CEO serves as the official spokesperson for the institution, that does not mean every medical or operational decision comes directly from the office of the chief executive.

“If we are communicating to the world from the hospital, it should be done by the Chief Executive Officer, who has the right to speak on behalf of the hospital,” he said.

“It doesn't necessarily mean that clinical decisions are necessarily coming from him.”

To illustrate his point, he suggested that hospital chief executives may come from non-clinical backgrounds and therefore cannot be blamed for every professional decision taken by specialists.

“Those decisions might not have come from him as a chief executive officer, but have come from the professionals who know the right thing to do,” he stated.

Mr Afriyie-Anto said that understanding was central to the association’s opposition to the sanctions imposed on the KATH CEO and ultimately informed the decision to suspend the strike action while awaiting further engagement.