The ongoing nationwide strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has forced the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to shut down its Outpatient Department (OPD), leaving patients in distress and disrupting healthcare services at one of Ghana’s premier medical facilities.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday revealed a stark scene at the hospital, where a notice informed patients that the OPD was closed and directed urgent cases to the Accident and Emergency Unit. Patients who had arrived early, like one who came at 5 a.m., were left waiting without any nursing staff to attend to them hours later.
“I don’t know whether to leave or keep waiting since there are no nurses here to help us,” the patient lamented.
The ripple effects of the strike extend beyond patient care, impacting nursing students at KATH’s Nursing and Midwifery Training College and the Ear, Nose and Throat Nursing School. Classrooms sat empty as tutors stayed away, raising concerns among students about possible disruptions to their academic schedules, especially with mid-semester exams looming.
This disruption underscores the critical role nurses and midwives play in Ghana’s healthcare system. Their absence has created a dangerous gap in care delivery, particularly affecting vulnerable patients who rely on public hospitals and cannot afford private alternatives.
The strike, which has seen all public sector nurses and midwives withdraw their services nationwide, remains a major challenge for healthcare institutions like KATH, putting pressure on emergency units and threatening the well-being of thousands of patients across the country.
