The Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has called for the resignation of Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.

He accused him of grossly mishandling the recent strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

Speaking in an interview with Channel One TV on Saturday, 14th June, Mr Ahiagbah did not mince words in demanding the Minister’s immediate dismissal.

“First of all, Honourable Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister for Health, must go. He should have been gone. He must go. He must go home—leave the Ministry and go home. Completely unacceptable behaviour,” he declared.

Referencing Mr Akandoh’s tenure as the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Ahiagbah questioned the Minister’s consistency and leadership during health sector crises.

“Did you see the things he was doing and saying? He accused Dr Agyemang-Manu of looking on for a strike—a local strike in Kumasi, Komfo Anokye—over administrative professional matters,” Ahiagbah recalled.

He argued that while Akandoh had criticised his predecessor over a localised strike, he had now presided over a far more severe nationwide crisis without taking effective action.

The GRNMA strike, which paralysed healthcare services across the country, was eventually suspended on Friday, 13th June. The resolution followed emergency negotiations brokered by Parliament’s Health Committee involving key stakeholders.

Mr Ahiagbah criticised the Health Minister’s apparent lack of urgency, noting that the warning signs had been present since January.

According to him, the Minister had assured striking nurses that their concerns would be addressed in the 2025 Budget, but those promises were not fulfilled.

“They found all the fiscal space to allocate GH¢2.7 billion for compensation at the Jubilee House, but didn’t prioritise the health of Ghanaians,” he lamented.

He was particularly incensed by the Minister’s suggestion to recall retired nurses as a temporary solution to the staffing crisis, branding the move both reckless and callous.

“That kind of hardball he was playing with people’s health was repugnant. People died because of his negligence. For that reason, he must be gone,” Ahiagbah stated emphatically.