Dr. Bawa Abdulai appointed TTH CEO a day after Dr Atiku's firing

Dr. Abubakar Bawah Abdulai has been appointed CEO of Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).

He is a senior official at the University for Development Studies (UDS).

President John Mahama made the appointment just 24 hours after Dr. Adam Atiku was dismissed on April 22.

The Health Minister confirmed that a formal letter communicated Dr. Atiku’s termination.

On Monday, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh visited the hospital unexpectedly.

His visit led to a heated confrontation with staff over ongoing issues.

The hospital faces challenges with non-functional basic medical equipment.

The inspection aimed to assess service delivery and infrastructure at TTH.

Tensions rose when the Minister found critical machines not operational.

These included ventilators, diagnostic equipment, and MRI scans in the emergency unit.

Frustrated, the Minister called this situation “an unacceptable state of neglect.”

He questioned why patients were sent to private facilities for routine care.

“A life has been lost—that’s why this must be exposed,” he stated during the exchange.

This incident followed a patient’s death last week due to a lack of ventilator support.

The Minister confronted staff about this issue during his visit.

When asked if Dr. Atiku would challenge his dismissal, the Minister replied, “I don’t know yet.”

He added that relieving Dr. Atiku was not solely due to Sunday’s incident.

“The appointing authority owes nobody any explanation for hiring or firing an employee,” he said.

A committee has been formed to investigate the recent death at TTH that gained public attention.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) criticized these developments strongly.

They described the treatment of medical staff and dismissal as unjust and an abuse of power.