A senior official at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr. Abubakar Bawah Abdulai has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).

His appointment by President John Mahama barely 24 hours after the dismissal of Dr. Adam Atiku, who was sacked on April 22.

The Health Minister revealed that a formal letter had been issued to communicate Dr. Atiku’s termination.

On Monday, a surprise visit by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to the hospital erupted into a heated confrontation with staff, highlighting the facility’s ongoing challenges with non-functional basic medical equipment.

The unannounced inspection was aimed at assessing service delivery and infrastructure at the Northern Region’s premier referral hospital.

• Read also: Health Minister confronts Tamale Teaching Hospital staff over malfunctioning equipment

However, tensions flared when the Minister discovered that several critical machines—including ventilators at the emergency unit, diagnostic and sterilisation equipment, MRI scans, among others —were not operational.

Visibly frustrated, the Minister condemned the situation as “an unacceptable state of neglect,” questioning why patients were being referred to private facilities for routine medical services.

“A life has been lost—that’s why this must be exposed. What do you mean it shouldn't be blown out?” the Minister charged during the exchange.

The exchange occurred following the death of a patient last week, which was caused by the lack of a ventilator. The minister's effort to question about the incident led to an encounter with a staff member.

When asked on Joy FM whether Dr. Atiku had accepted the dismissal or intended to challenge it, the Minister responded, “I don’t know yet."

"Relieving him of his position is not only because of the incident that happened on Sunday, and the appointing authority owes nobody any explanation for hiring or firing an employee.”

He further disclosed that a committee has been established to investigate the circumstances surrounding a recent death at the hospital that has drawn public attention.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has strongly criticised recent developments describing the treatment of medical staff and the dismissal as unjust and an abuse of power.