The decision by the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) to advertise the position of Deputy Director in Charge of Public Affairs has generated controversy, particularly because the current officer associated with the Public Affairs function, Mr. Kwame Frimpong, is still at post.
But before this development is turned into another NPP-versus-NDC political battle, an important question deserves to be asked:
Is advertising senior management positions at KATH something new?
The available evidence suggests the answer is no.
The Current Controversy
On August 20, 2026, Citi News reported that KATH had advertised the Deputy Director in Charge of Public Affairs position while the incumbent remained at post.
According to the report, hospital sources linked the development to the controversy that followed Mr. Kwame Frimpong’s media interview on the congestion at KATH’s Accident and Emergency Centre. The hospital had temporarily suspended new emergency admissions because of severe overcrowding.
The episode subsequently became a major dispute involving KATH management and the Ministry of Health. Earlier reports confirmed that the A&E Centre, designed for 37 beds, was at the time accommodating 61 patients in its critical wards, with another 34 patients waiting for space.
Citi News further reports that Mr. Frimpong has approximately three years and eight months before retirement. Some members of KATH’s administrative staff are therefore questioning why his position should be advertised now.
Those questions are legitimate and management should be prepared to explain its decision transparently.
However, there is another side of the story that should not be ignored.
KATH Advertised the Same Position Under the NPP Administration
Moment of Wisdom GH TV’s research found that the position of Deputy Director for Public Affairs at KATH was publicly advertised in 2022, when the NPP was in government.
The 2022 vacancy stated that the purpose of the position was to project a positive public image of KATH and manage the concerns and expectations of clients and the general public.
The advertised qualifications included extensive professional and senior management experience in public relations, communications and the health sector. The application deadline was June 10, 2022.
More importantly, the Public Affairs position was not advertised alone.
KATH was recruiting for six senior positions, including Medical Director, Deputy Director for Public Affairs, Deputy Director for Research and Development, Deputy Director for Quality Assurance, Director of Administration and Director of Nursing Services.
This historical record matters.
It demonstrates that advertising senior management positions at KATH did not begin under the current NDC administration.
Why Should Today’s Exercise Automatically Be Called Political?
This is where Moment of Wisdom GH TV believes consistency is required.
If advertising senior positions through a competitive process was acceptable when the NPP was in government, why should the same administrative mechanism automatically become political victimisation when the NDC is in government?
Changing governments should not mean changing the standards by which we judge public institutions.
An advertisement by itself does not prove that an incumbent has been dismissed, victimised or unfairly treated. It opens a position to competition. The crucial questions should instead be:
Was the advertisement authorised under KATH’s governing procedures? Is the position due for competitive recruitment? Is the incumbent eligible to apply? Will the selection process be transparent and based on merit?
Those are more useful questions than simply asking which political party happens to be in power.
But KATH Management Also Has Questions to Answer
Defending the principle of competitive recruitment does not mean that management should escape scrutiny.
Citi News reports that some KATH administrative staff have raised questions about apparent differences in how senior officers have been treated. According to the report, a similar situation involving the Director of Pharmacy ended with a contract renewal without advertising the position, while a former Director of Nursing Services allegedly received similar treatment.
If these accounts are accurate, management should explain the distinction.
Institutional rules must be applied consistently.
If one senior officer receives an extension without competitive advertisement while another officer’s position is advertised, the public is entitled to know whether the difference arises from contractual terms, retirement rules, professional regulations, board policy or some other legitimate administrative reason.
Transparency will prevent unnecessary political interpretations.
Let Us Not Have Different Rules for NPP and NDC
Ghana’s public institutions cannot develop if every administrative decision is immediately interpreted through partisan lenses.
The NPP governed Ghana when KATH advertised the Deputy Director for Public Affairs position in 2022. Today, under an NDC government, the position has again been advertised.
Therefore, the debate should not simply be “NDC is removing an NPP person” or “NPP did the same thing.”
The bigger issue is whether KATH is following its established rules.
If the current process complies with the hospital’s regulations, employment conditions and governing procedures, then political affiliation should not prevent management from conducting a competitive recruitment exercise.
Conversely, if the process violates those rules or has been designed specifically to punish an individual, then management should be held accountable regardless of which party is in power.
That is the standard Ghana needs.
Moment of Wisdom GH TV’s Position
Moment of Wisdom GH TV believes that what was considered legitimate administrative practice under the NPP should not suddenly become unacceptable merely because the NDC is now in government.
The historical evidence shows that KATH advertised the Deputy Director for Public Affairs position in 2022. Competitive advertisements for senior positions are therefore not a new phenomenon at the hospital.
At the same time, KATH management should communicate clearly why the current vacancy has arisen while an officer remains at post and explain whether the incumbent can participate in the competitive process.
The solution is not partisan outrage.
The solution is transparency, consistency, merit and respect for institutional procedures.
Today it may be an NPP sympathiser who feels unfairly treated. Tomorrow it could be an NDC sympathiser. Public institutions must therefore operate according to rules strong enough to protect everybody, irrespective of political affiliation.
Let the same standard apply whether NPP or NDC is in power.
Moment of Wisdom GH TV — Time for Wisdom.
