The Minister for Health, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, has assured that necessary steps will be taken to resolve the issues raised by the striking doctors at the Oncology Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).

On Monday, June 26, the doctors abandoned their consulting rooms to protest the delay in the restoration of the Linear Accelerator System (LINAC) machine, which is crucial for treating cancer patients at the directorate.

The LINAC, used for radiotherapy services, has been malfunctioning since October 2023, severely impacting the diagnosis and treatment of cancer cases.

Read also: Cancer patients stranded as KATH doctors abandon oncology services

Speaking to JoyNews on Tuesday, June 25, Dr. Okoe Boye acknowledged the situation and assured an intervention.

He noted that the same procedures used to resolve a previous strike by medical laboratory staff would be applied to address the oncologists' concerns at KATH.

“We used the laid-down structures to resolve it. Today, as we speak, they've gone back to work. This was about a week or two ago. Conflicts or disagreements sometimes are part of human nature or institutions. Our job is to resolve them. All I will say is that we will continue to work to resolve these conflicts.

“I heard the announcement today. I've not had a briefing on the details, but my attitude is that every conflict or disagreement can be resolved. All we have to do is pay attention and work on it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the management of KATH has expressed disappointment over the strike embarked by some doctors at the oncology directorate to demand the repair of a broken-down machine.

Read also: KATH management disappointed over doctors’ strike at Oncology directorate

The Management of the hospital has described the action as needless and lack of appreciation for the efforts being made to restore the LINAC machine.

The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Kwame Frimpong, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Kumasi that, the doctors were aware of the various steps and processes management had gone through to repair and restore the machine.