Is Akandoh teaching the Teaching Hospitals a Lesson?

My basic understanding of who a leader is suggests that a leader is one who can steer his followers towards the set objectives. Thus, in leadership, two (2) variables are constant; ‘followers’ and ‘objectives or vision’. At this point, I wonder if the Hon. Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has followership among the people in the Ministry he leads (apart from his Spokesperson and his appointees, not sure about his Deputy, but that’s by the way)? If he has, do they align or subscribe to his vision for the Ministry of Health, if there be any?

The real question of the day is, “What have the teaching hospitals done wrong to Mr. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh?”. The Minister of Health, Hon. Mintah Akandoh, has ‘faced it off’ with three out of the six teaching hospitals in Ghana, at different times, in the last three (3) years.

It started with his face-off with the Korle-Bu doctors in late 2024 as the then Ranking Member of Health, which was a matter known to many and widespread. Then came Tamale Teaching Hospital in April 2025, where the Minister flew to Tamale to go and sack the CEO after he felt disrespected by a medical officer who stood his ground and explained facts surrounding an alleged case of negligence. The doctors in the facility suspended their services and the Minister was unfazed and the matter fizzled out like the gas in an opened carbonated drink. One year, one teaching hospital ‘mangana’.

In June 2026, the baton fell on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, where the Minister in a press release couched as a letter, suspended the CEO (at least he was not sacked) for allowing his staff to turn away referrals due to ‘no-bed syndrome’. Minister says CEO should have ensured that the issue was contained at any political cost, to his benefit. Yes, as confusing and unreasonable as it may seem, that is the reality of the famous former Dining Hall Prefect turned Health Policy expert. This has led to the doctors at KATH going on an indefinite strike, with the nurses and midwives set to tow the same line, until the reinstatement of the suspended CEO. The Ministry has defended its unwarranted action despite calls from stakeholders, like the Minority in Parliament through Hon. Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye, Ghana Medical Association, voices of conscience, doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and real health policy experts.

The bigger picture is that this indirectly puts the ‘fear of the Lord’ in all other CEOs or leaders of government hospitals to put the political image ahead of the people’s wellness. How and why should a CEO be fired for the unavailability of beds in the hospital he administers, when the Minister who is supposed to ensure that such a crisis is avoided, is still at post? Make it make sense to me! Some say, it was the no-bed syndrome in KATH that led to the Ashanti Regional Minister’s wife finding a bed in a maternal ward in another country, supposedly (that was by the way though as politicians on both sides of the divide are guilty).

His time in office has been fraught with so much negative press about the Ministry of Health getting it so wrong with the stakeholders in the health sector. If it is not the Minister himself irking a group, then it is his spokesperson, Tony Goodman (I do not know whether the people in and under the Ministry think he is a ‘good man’ though), doing a bad damage control.

Some discerning Ghanaians do not know whether he is paying for the sins of his propaganda as Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament, because his predecessors, whose works he bastardized, have been better performers and managers of the health sector. Instead of focusing of the daily health challenges confronting us in Ghana, the Minister seems to find so much pleasure in antics and optics. Instead of completing the Agenda 111 Hospitals and handing over the completed Agenda 111 and remaining Euroget hospitals, we are back to celebrating CHPS compounds in 2026.

Two years into the eight-year tenure of the Nana Akufo-Addo – Bawumia administration, the government had successfully launched the Zipline Medical Drone Services, handed over the Twifo Praso and Fomena Euroget Hospitals, purchased over 300 ambulances for the National Ambulance Service, revitalized the National Health Insurance Scheme, operationalized UGMC Phase I and launched the UGMC Phase II project, begun constructing regional and district hospitals across the country and putting up of polyclinics to increase access to primary healthcare. If we want to talk about the full eight years and the remarkable achievements, it will be a long write-up.

The flip in the first two years under the new NDC government has been the Minister of Health and his appendages ‘beefing’ doctors, nurses, midwives, lab scientists and other allied health professionals in Tamale Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Accra Ridge Hospital on all sorts of matters which they have little or no control over. The list includes press conferences or releases (that outnumber the number of health interventions), CHPS compound updates, recycling existing health initiatives, demonstrations, strikes and threats of same, among others. It has been talk shops, empty promises, ‘blogger-followed surprise visits’ and ‘settings’.

My questions in conclusion are: which teaching hospital is next to face the Minister’s ‘lesson’? Is Ghana’s health policy in the right hands and direction? Most importantly, were all of these ‘dramas’ necessary?

We need a Health Minister who will not sacrifice the health of the ordinary Ghanaian to paint a good political image. In the words of my brother Dr. Jay in reaction to news of the Ministry’s call for dialogue four (4) days after the KATH fact, he writes that “Why do you do what you want and then when there is a reaction, you call for dialogue... Then the decision making of the ministry is poor!!! As a leader, your thought process in decision making is poor. How do you make decision without thinking of the possible effects and then choose one that will bring things to this point……. It was the same at Tamale Teaching Hospital. You did what you wanted, broke infection prevention protocol by bringing in the media, wrongly accused and humiliated the senior specialist and then later called for dialogue when issues escalated…… You can't eat your cake and have it. In all your getting, get wisdom!”. This one of thousands of similar sentiments.

 In fact, you do not need to be a health professional to effectively lead the health sector. Hence, when an opportunity is given let us not stir up the angst of the people who take care of our health but meaningfully contribute to the development of the health sector. It is my hope and fervent prayer that what you, my dear reader, thinks needs to be done, to solve the problems of our health sector, will be done.

Yah guide!

By: Kofi Opandoh, The Tamed Bear

THE PRESIDENT GHANA HAD, INDEED – AN OPEN LETTER TO GHANAIANS

File photo of President Akufo-Addo. Source: LivingStone

January 06, 2026 marks exactly one year since His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo left office as President of the Republic of Ghana. He left office, handing over in a statesmanlike manner to Ghana's only comeback President, His Excellency John Mahama. Over, the past weekend, a good number of leading traditional and social media outlets did a review of the ended year. In all of that a number of plaudits were going to the current government, which is deserving given the year end results. One thing, however, stood out in all of the analysis for me, that the foundation for the new government was not sinking sand, as of January 07,2025.

The Akufo-Addo – Bawumia government was seemingly at its lowest ebbs in the embers of its tenure. This was due to immediate harsh consequences of the tough and hard decisions for which the benefits thereof, for the country, were remote and to be manifested long after the government’s exit. Unfortunately, the unfortunate turn clouded the many successes chalked and were being chalked, before Election 2024. The cumulative effect of the successes of the erstwhile government formed the foundation upon which the current government built its 1st year success stories, to a large extent.

Permit me to, briefly, take you through some of the gains of the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government, which rippling effects are evident in the current government:

1. The Free SHS Policy is one of our most underrated biggest blessings, as a country. This policy brought a paradigm shift in our education system as a whole. Today, the least qualification the majority of ordinary Ghanaians between ages 18 – 25 years possess is a WASSCE certificate. Today, the crusaders of ‘Progressive Free SHS’ have cause to speak of their gains made in the Free SHS policy without any prefix adjectives. Due to this solid foundation, today the current government can claim their initiatives at the tertiary level of education are far-reaching and impacting many....... Definitely because many were able to go through the secondary level.

2. Shoring up gold reserves and backing our economy with our resources. I watched the GoldBod CEO, my learned senior Sammy Gyamfi, tout how much the Gold for Reserve program has significantly contributed to the stabilisation of the economy, which assertion was debunked by the learned senior, Kofi Bentil to the extent of the degree of contribution. We saw the current President, the Finance Minister and the Governor serve in the first administration of President Mahama. If they had considered implementing such a policy, we would have heard. Thankfully, His Excellency Dr. Bawumia as Vice President together with Governor Addison, under the auspices of His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, rolled out the Gold Purchase program in 2021, which formed the basis of the work of the now GoldBod. Solid Foundation! In this vein, let me state that save the pumping of dollars and stifled disbursements/ expenditure/ releases, the economic gains today are, to a large extent, as a result of the good and some harsh policy decisions and actions of the Akufo-Addo government.

3. As of January, 2025, Ghana’s road infrastructure had improved significantly from as it was in January, 2017. In fact, it is important to acknowledge the effort of the Nana Addo government in not only thinking, but starting work, to give facelifts to all the major roads which lead outside the nation’s capital – Tema-Akuse, Tema-Prampram, Adenta-Dodowa, Pokuase-Nsawam and Kasoa-Winneba. Beyond these I speak of the completion of road rehabilitation and construction across the country including Accra (East Legon Boundary Road/ Tunnel expansion, East Legon-East Airport Motorway Flyover, Tema Interchange, Tema town roads, Adjiriganor-School Junction-Borteyman Roundabout, School Junction to Lakeside Junction thro’ East Legon Hills, Ashiyie-Sucasa-Katamanso, many town roads overlay), Ashanti (Town roads in Juaben, Effiduase, Bekwai, Ayeduase New Site, Atonsu Dompoase, etc, Atonsu-Esreso Dual Carriage, Ejisu-Juaben, Ejisu Junction expansion, remodelling of the roundabouts at Anwomaso, Oduom and Tech Police Stations, Adansi Dompoase to Assin Fosu, projects underway including Suame Interchange, By-pass at Konongo among others), Volta (Eastern Corridor Roads, Town Roads including Ho and Hohoe, dualization of Sokode-Ho) and Eastern (Koforidua Town Roads, Kyebi Town Roads, Apedwa to Linda Dor, ongoing projects such as Osino By Pass, Anyinam By-Pass, among others). I am tempted to hold my guns here as I seek to not do more than 2 pages for this eulogy. This is a solid foundation which is easing movement of goods and people across the country.

4. Infrastructure of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs) were improved under the government of President Nana Akufo-Addo significantly. Between 2017-2024, we witnessed the construction of the office complexes for Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Annex, Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, Ministry of Communications, BOST, Foreign Service Institute, Offices of the Heads of Local Government and the Civil Service respectively, NPA Head Office Annex, Africa Trade House (housing AfCFTA, Ghana Exim Bank and GEPA), GOIL Head Office, Ghana Maritime Authority building, GETFund Head Office (now housing the OSP), RCC buildings for the new regions and offices for some MMDAs. Some facilities got massive facelifts like the Ministry of Finance, Kwame Nkrumah Park (which offers night tours now as part of 24 hour economy due to the upgrade). These infrastructure projects have greatly helped in saving huge rent and other overhead costs, adding to the aesthetics of our capital, giving dignity to the public sector and created enough room for some of these entities to employ more than 100 people and accommodating them.

5. In the area of health, the boldest health intervention was taken with the initiative to build 111 new, not upgraded, hospitals across the country. Now thi k of our current health system and the addition of one hundred and eleven more. That definitely will change a lot. Further, the aged Euroget hospitals including Twifo Praso and Fomena were not only completed but operationalized, the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital saw the return of contractors to the 508-bed Mother and Baby Unit, among others across the country. That bilateral Agreement with Barbados for the export of nurses, didn’t just take off some of the nurse employment pressure but saved a country. Much like how the excellent management of COVID-19, by the same Akufo-Addo led government sav3d the country.

Above is only a fraction of the solid foundation laid by the erstwhile NPP government under the leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. I just realised I’m a few lines beyond 2 pages. Maybe, next year we can continue. Yes, there were a few lows of the government, some of which stung so deep. However, some of our highs today are as a result of those lows. Looking at it through a logical microscope, the Akufo-Addo – Bawumia government laid a solid foundation, like that held firmly by the biblical Cedars of Babylon. My deepest prayer is that Ghanaians come to appreciate the solid and immense work done between 2017-2024 over the failings and consequences of the tough decisions that had to be taken. Thank you, Mr. President and your team.

The President Ghana Indeed Had....... President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo aka Addo Showboy aka Addo Dee aka Akyem Billy among other monikers. To get the realtime razzmatazz, you may play Daddy Lumba’s Nana Yɛ Winner.

Authored by Kofi Tetteh Opandoh in celebration of the legacy of President Nana Akufo-Addo (former President of the Republic of Ghana, 2017-2025) on the 1st Anniversary of his leaving office.

A FUTURE OF THE PAST?

One thing that surprises me and has been of bother and great concern to me, is the strength some youth in 'politics' use in defending the glaring 'rape' of our country's resources by elements in successive governments. Under the guise of being 'loyal' to the cause of their political parties, these bunch seek to justify the most unacceptable acts of 'unpatriotism' perpetrated by some leaders at different levels of society.

I always wonder, if these are the same bunch hoping to be at the helm of affairs soon? If so, then the future is more bleak than the present because the perpetration of the cankers will continue unabated. Maybe, we may have to name and shame such youth who engage in such acts of recklessness and self-gratification. Are you myopic not to know that the ills you are supporting today will hurt your regime in which you hope to 'lead' someday?

It is for us as well-meaning youth to preserve and ensure a future that will help in realising the Ghana we envisage. This is because the future is 'our time' and the future is now.

Let's condemn what is wrong and right the wrongs through every possible legal means. That way, the right will be the mundane and the wrong will be eschewed. Yes, we can still belong to political parties and secure a future that can serve generations.

ARISE GHANA YOUTH FOR YOUR COUNTRY  (not your party).

Share your thoughts as well in the comment box below. We'll be grateful.

#OpandohIndex

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This post is sponsored by Ndudu F&B

GHANA POLICE SERVICE BECOMING A SOCIAL NUISANCE?

File Photo

Police are beating civilians, civilians are beating Police..... In the end, civilian-suspects are arraigned before a court of law asap whereas the police-suspect is still being investigated.

It's sad that 'twisted' narration of a police officer is always supra to the civilian's. The police kinda operates like a 'gang' now with senior officers always justifying the 'crude' actions of their subordinates. It is a cliche that police officers mostly twist facts to make themselves look better.

I have a good number of 'correct' police friends but most of the strangers are 'wannabe' social nuisance. Don't mention reporting of offending officers because to me those are just but a mirage. If the UNIFORM IS SO POWERFUL, it must be remembered and recognized that the power belongs and is given to citizens and not just for show of arbitrary powers. Without that power, the over-hyped uniform is just but an OVERSIZED SEWN OVERALL.

In as much as we don't encourage violence, maybe it's about time the Ghana Police sit up and re-align their men. I always say Ghana has a POLICE SERVICE not a Police Force. Service is a goddamn virtue people.

At a better time we will talk more about these service-oriented officers turned 'SOCIAL MONSTERS'.

My prayers are with the driver and mate. My heart also goes out to the nursing mother and her colleagues brutalized by 10 police men in the same week, yet no arrests made and investigations are ongoing. May the justice of Yah prevail. Yah guide!

#SonOfWalaa #AppiawaBa #TamedBear

Making 'sense' of the GHC 324 million faulty SSNIT Software

Hearing in the news of a SSNIT payment 'transfiguration', my mind made me feel it was one of the 'normal' government appointee 'choppings' of a $660,000 in the name of a software. Even that I want to ask what kind of software will SSNIT need to cost that much? However I was shocked to the core when I realized that a life-changing whooping $72 million was used to buy a software. No oo, I mean GHC 324 million or 3.24 billion old cedis was used to buy a software. What? Did Bill Gates build gold-plated codes personally for this software? My good Lord!
Now to the crux of my issue. In a country with a 5-star science and tech university like KNUST, couldn't have the Computer Science Dept. helped get such a software at a less amount? I am sure my senior colleague old boy of Ghana National College, Mr. Jeff Bamba of Infoview Data Solutions could have built a better software for far far less? So sometimes don't our appointed government officials think through some of these things? How can you do this to this country? To hear that the software could have been purchased at $ 3.6 million, even beats my mind. Software? Ebei ooo

We are in a country where most pensioners cry foul about their end of service pay yet, the Trust they contribute into which pays them meagre accounts paid a whooping $ 72 million for one software, which is already becoming useless. I'm sure USA which has the Silicon Valley won't even buy a software at this stupid amount (pardon my language). Sometimes, some of these government appointees make us feel they lose their reasoning and bargaining ability, not to talk of patriotic sense, when they get into positions.

This money could have been used to reinforce collapsing existing industries or start a new factory in my Cape Coast North Constituency to give jobs to the youth or build pension club houses across the country to add value to the state of being a pensioner in Ghana. All these could have added to the already 'golden' coffers of SSNIT.

This money has been chopped by a group of people and for me they should 'vomit' it, not like Woyome's convenient 'vomiting' of the GHC 51 million he chopped. Let's begin to hold people accountable for all the 'foolishness' at the expense of the state. 

Source: www.opando

ON AHOMKA-LINDSAY AND 'DIASPORADIC WHINING'......

I will agree with Nana Ansah Kwao IV that indeed, taking the speech in its entirety, there was no wrong done. The Dep. Min pointed out how he could whine yet did nothing until the good old JAK challenged him to.

Now to the following questions:
- Do some people in the Diaspora not whine?
- Is it not true that there is a seeming affinity for Ghanaians in the Diaspora mostly wanting to see the head of an MDA, especially when they want do something?
- Is it not true that some people in the Diaspora come to Ghana and complain about how everything else does not work here yet do nothing about making things work?
- Did Mr. Kofi Koranteng not corroborate the import of Mr. Ahomka-Lindsay's speech by his words and posturing?


And I am hearing something about arrogance..... Unfortunately I can't find it. The speaker is a former 'Diasporan' and he had met his fellow 'Diasporans', how else was he to speak than the 'Diaspora way'. And the disdain with which the Ag. Communication Director of the party distanced the party from the speech is better left to rest.


So all Ghanaians should #StopWhining and help solve the problems we see or encounter as local residents or people in the Diaspora.


#OpandohIndex #GhanaMatters

SOCIOLOGY OF SUICIDE; A case of the recent incidents at UG and KNUST (Part 2)

Special thanks to all who read, shared and commented on the part 1 of this article. It is great to know that a sociological explanation helps in better appreciating a social issue like suicide. The enormous role of society in suicide has been brought to the fore. As indicated, this second part will focus on dealing with the four causes of suicide as postulated in Emile Durkheim's work 'Suicide', pinned on social regulation and social integration.

Anomic suicide occurs when there is low social regulation. Thus, one way suicide can take place is when society is thrown into a state of anomie or lawlessness and carelessness. In this case,  social structures are weakened, failing and inactive to align behaviours of members of a society to the accepted norms and behaviours, resulting in suicidal actions. This therefore calls for strengthening and empowering, coupled with respect, of social institutions by the society to avert anomic suicide. This type of suicide is common with war-torn societies and unregulated coup-d'etats.

Fatalistic suicide is as a result of high social regulation. Here, the adherence to the norms and ethics of society overwhelm the individual to a point of frustration that results in suicide tendencies. A lot seems to be expected from the individual and when he or she feels the unmatch of reality and expectation, one is likely to commit suicide out of disappointment. This was the case of the KNUST student of the note left is anything to go by. In dealing with this type of suicide, society must be moderate in its expectation of its members. Parents and work supervisors (bosses) must not expect too much from children and subordinates respectively, as unforeseen circumstances and environments (person-in-environment) may affect end performance or behaviour.

Egoistic suicide is as a result of low social integration. Assumed as the most common type of suicide, egoistic suicide takes place when a person ends his or her life because he or she feels 'less-needed' and cared for by members of society. This feeling might be as a result of behaviours such as break-ups, depression, stigmatization and abandonment. In our world today, due to virtual friends on social media, young ones especially are not too interested in making and keeping physical friendships. In this case,  one is likely to suffer from depression when the data runs low and there's no opportunity to interact with 'friends' online. Again due to social media, people are too busy watching snaps or tweeting or reacting to Facebook posts, to attend to the social needs of their friends or family. We look on social media and it suggests that everyone is doing fine, sometimes making us forget we have our own issues to deal with. Surest and simple way of dealing with this type of suicide is to care and show affection to friends, coursemates and family. Availability of a 'listening ear' and a caring or loving heart might go a long way to save us many more young lives. Also, people must cautiously fall in love with people as putting your all in a relationship in a recipe for depression of regrets. Until marriage, dont trust your partner so much to put in your all; have fun and study each other. Bottomline is let's be there for each other....... Have you checked on that colleague or course-mate who was absent today? What about that sick friend?

Lastly we look at altruistic suicide. This is as a result of high social integration. Rather rare in our world today, this suicide takes place when people are over-committed to a social cause of society and lose their lives for that cause. In other words,  altruistic suicide is killing one's self for a social good in a selfless manner. Here, there is the need for people to moderate their selflessness or passion for a social cause or activity. Once it's social, one or two people are involved and a fair share and balance will be good and help overcome overburdening of one person.

Issues of the vibrancy of counselling centres in universities have been raised but I beg to ask, how many students know about counselling centres and where the counselling centres are located on their campuses? What of those outside our university campuses facing issues or challenges? It's about time social work or social welfare services in Ghana are taken serious and encouraged. Also, with the youth of today feeling shy to talk face-to-face about their issues, can't we have a 24-hour call centre (like Vodafone Healthline) to help deal with the psycho-social and emotional needs of people? I will start support groups soon to help different people from deal with varying social issues confronting them through the support group care system. You may drop a mail, if interested.

It is my hope that these two articles have helped you and made you ready to help fight a growing issue in our society today. As seen suicide is not really killing of one's self but society killing a person by using him or herself. Open up and be a friend........

Stay blessed!

K. OPANDOH
BA. Sociology and Social Work (Kumasi)
nanaopandoh@outlook.com