Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has criticised Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, calling his handling of the nurses' strike "repugnant" and demanding his immediate resignation.
Speaking on Channel One TV's The Big Issue on Saturday June 14, he condemned Akandoh's recent suggestion that retired nurses be called in to help address the crisis caused by the strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA). "That kind of hardball he was playing with people's health was repugnant.
For that reason, he must be gone," Ahiagbah stated, accusing the minister of showing gross insensitivity in the face of a national health emergency. "People actually died." Ahiagbah drew comparisons between Akandoh's current role and his time as Ranking Member on Parliament's Health Committee, where he frequently criticised former Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu for his handling of professional disputes within the sector.
He recalled an incident involving a localised strike at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where Akandoh, then in opposition, lambasted Agyemang-Manu-an accountant by profession-for allegedly standing by during tensions between lab technicians and hematologists. "When he was Ranking Member on the Health Committee, did you see the things he was doing and saying?" Ahiagbah questioned. "He blamed Agyemang-Manu for professional matters beyond his scope, yet now he's the minister and making flimsy suggestions like calling on retired nurses." According to Ahiagbah, Akandoh's actions have revealed a double standard and a lack of preparedness in office.
