Doctors at Ghana’s largest teaching hospital have ended a brief industrial action after management moved swiftly to address their core demands, averting what could have been a prolonged disruption to healthcare services.
The Korle-Bu Doctors Association (KODA) officially announced the suspension of its industrial action barely 18 hours after it commenced on the morning of Monday, 4 May 2026.
In a formal letter addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) and signed by KODA Chairman Dr. Asare Offei, the association confirmed the decision followed an emergency meeting held on the same day the strike began. “The Korle-Bu Doctors Association (KODA) is formally notifying management and the public of suspension of the strike action commenced this morning; Monday 4 May 2026,” the letter dated May 4 stated.
Dr. Offei explained that management had provided assurances to ensure Laboratory Physicians return to their posts at the Central Laboratory. “We believe the peaceful coexistence of Laboratory Physicians and Medical Laboratory Scientists at the Central Laboratory is best for quality healthcare delivery,” he said.
All KODA members have been directed to resume outpatient services from Tuesday, 5 May 2026.
The development comes as a major relief to hundreds of patients whose appointments were disrupted by the walkout.
The strike had its roots in a petition filed on April 30, when KODA accused members of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) of unlawfully blocking Laboratory Physicians, including pathologists, haematologists and microbiologists, from accessing the Central Laboratory. The association had also reported credible accounts of threats of physical harm against some of its members and demanded their reinstatement by May 2 or face a withdrawal of services.
The situation at the Central Laboratory remains a focal point for the medical community, with hospital management expected to monitor relations between the two professional groups closely to prevent further escalation.
The latest dispute is part of a broader pattern of industrial tensions at Korle-Bu in 2026. Allied Health Professionals struck earlier in the year over directorate appointments, while mortuary workers staged a separate action before suspending it under a government-imposed deadline.
