The Minority in Parliament has called on striking doctors and nurses at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to suspend their industrial action and return to duty, warning that an extended shutdown could endanger patients and result in preventable deaths.

Speaking on Citi FM on Monday, June 8, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, said while the grievances of health professionals were understandable, patients in urgent need of care should not be made to suffer as a result of the dispute.

He criticised the handling of the suspension of KATH’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr (Med) Paa Kwesi Baidoo, arguing that the response from the Health Minister was unnecessarily harsh.

According to him, a more measured approach would have been preferable given the circumstances surrounding the situation.

“In the context of the issues, our position is fairly clear. Using a sledgehammer to kill an ant was not the immediate step that should have been taken by the Minister. We also think they should go back to work. Under the circumstances, we can only appeal to them because sustaining the strike over a period, with loss of lives, is not something that can be replaced. So we are appealing to them to return to work,” he said.

Dr Afriyie further stressed that resolving the standoff requires dialogue rather than escalation, urging all stakeholders to engage constructively in order to restore normal operations at the hospital as quickly as possible.

He also encouraged government to consider interim arrangements with private health facilities to reduce pressure on the public system during periods of industrial action.

“There are a lot of private hospitals that the government can designate under public-private partnership arrangements,” he noted, adding that such collaborations could help strengthen healthcare delivery and ensure continuity of care in times of disruption.

The strike was triggered by the suspension of Dr Baidoo, a decision that health workers have described as unjust and damaging to morale at the facility.