The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to government to arrest the man identified as Ralph Saint Williams and his accomplices for allegedly assaulting a nurse at the Accra Ridge Hospital.
The association has threatened to advise themselves if immediate action is not taken.
According to the GRNMA’s General Secretary, Dr. David Tenkorang Twum, about eight men physically attacked the nurse, leaving her with injuries. She is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
Dr. Tenkorang described the incident as unacceptable, stressing that health workers cannot continue to operate in an environment where their safety is not guaranteed.
“If anybody can just walk into a facility, like Ridge Hospital, and throw his weight about, and beat like a midwife, and you have other party apparatchiks telling them to edge on, that is unfortunate. We are not happy at all. Our people are traumatized,” he stated.
He added, “We are very civilized people. We are professionals. And we are asking government to arrest the guy immediately and the eight accomplices, we were told there were about 50 guys that day. But those who laid their hands on the lady, there were about eight, including Ralph himself. And therefore, if he’s not arrested within 48 hours, we shall advise ourselves.”
He further cited Section 119 of Ghana’s Labour Act, which empowers workers to withdraw their services if their health and safety are threatened.
“And we are all guided by law. In that, if you read section 119, subsection 1, it is stated that if you are a worker and you think that your safety is not guaranteed, your life and your health is not guaranteed, you have every right under the law to remove yourself from that danger. And our people have told us this morning, after interacting with them, that they are not safe. They feel that their safety has been breached.”
The association insists that both Ralph Saint Williams and the eight identified accomplices must be arrested immediately to restore confidence and ensure justice for the victim.
The demand follows the circulation of a viral video showing a violent altercation between some relatives of a patient and medical staff at the hospital’s emergency department.
