Tempers are flaring at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi, where nurses are threatening mass protests over what they describe as a brazen attempt to appoint an “unqualified” political activist of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as the hospital’s next Director of Nursing Services (DNS).
The storm has been triggered by reports that the hospital’s Board of Directors, chaired by the eminent orthopedic surgeon, Oheneba Boachie Adjei, is seeking to hand the top nursing position to Madam Comfort Asoglo, a Principal Nursing Officer stationed at the Oncology Unit of the Child Health Directorate. The current DNS is due for retirement, but instead of advertising the vacancy for all qualified nurses to apply and undergo a competitive selection process, insiders allege that the Board Chairman has already issued instructions for the role to be given to Madam Asoglo.
This move has ignited outrage among the nursing fraternity, with many insisting that the proposed appointment not only undermines established regulations but also erodes the integrity of the institution. KATH’s internal rules and the broader health service guidelines require that only senior nursing officers of the highest caliber—typically PhD holders or directors already heading key hospital units—qualify for consideration as DNS. Madam Asoglo’s current rank as a Principal Nursing Officer falls far below these requirements, raising questions about the legitimacy of the push for her promotion.
Adding to the controversy are allegations that the Board has orchestrated the backdating of Madam Asoglo’s promotion to 2018. This alleged administrative manipulation is seen by staff as a desperate attempt to manufacture the appearance of seniority, smoothing her path to the DNS office regardless of merit. Some staff describe the maneuver as a “corrupt enterprise” designed to entrench partisan influence in one of Ghana’s most critical referral hospitals.
The controversy has also exposed what many see as deepening political interference in the hospital’s operations. Beyond the DNS saga, reports suggest that the Board has been pressuring management to create additional senior-level positions for NDC loyalists, including deputy directors of pharmacy. Traditionally, such appointments fall within the jurisdiction of hospital management, not the Board, and the demand is being viewed as a dangerous precedent that could politicize the entire management structure of the institution.
Insiders further allege that Madam Asoglo already wields considerable informal influence at KATH despite her modest rank, controlling sensitive administrative issues such as the allocation of accommodation in the nurses’ flats and quarters. This, they argue, highlights the growing culture of power-broking and political favoritism that now threatens the independence of the hospital’s leadership.
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) chapter at KATH is preparing to escalate the matter. Sources say a formal petition is being drafted to the national leadership of the association, demanding urgent intervention. If the petition is not acted upon, the nurses are prepared to carry out sit-down strikes and street demonstrations until the Board and management guarantee a transparent and merit-based process in filling the DNS position.
Union leaders argue that the Director of Nursing Services is far too critical a role to be reduced to political patronage. They warn that compromising on competence and experience could have dire implications for patient care and staff discipline in one of Ghana’s busiest referral centers. With morale already sinking and distrust spreading, some fear that the unfolding standoff could disrupt operations at KATH and weaken public confidence in the health sector.
As tension builds, public attention is now focused on the hospital’s Board of Directors and the Ministry of Health. Nurses and health workers across the country are watching closely to see whether political influence will be allowed to override professionalism, or whether the principles of merit and fairness will ultimately prevail in the appointment of KATH’s next Director of Nursing Services.
Story by Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, Kumasi
