Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, has appealed to the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) not to resort to industrial action following the recent assault on a nurse at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge).
Dr. Nawaane acknowledged the frustration of health workers but urged them to exercise patience while the police pursue justice in the matter.
“I would just appeal to the nurses to exercise patience. I’ve been working with them for the past 32 years. I know most of them are our sisters, our children, our mothers, and they have a lot of patience. What we can do is to ensure that we put a lot of pressure on the police to carry out their work,” he said.
He stressed that the rule of law must be allowed to take its course, adding that the police should ensure the perpetrators face the legal process.
The Health Committee Chair also cautioned against generalizing isolated incidents of misconduct in hospitals as reflective of the entire nursing and medical profession. According to him, health workers, like any other professionals, are human and may react differently under stressful conditions.
The appeal follows a recent incident at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital where popular social media activist Ralph, accompanied by a group of young men, stormed the emergency department in protest of alleged neglect of a patient. The confrontation allegedly escalated into a physical and verbal assault on a nurse on duty, an act that was captured on video and widely circulated on social media.
The footage sparked outrage from the public and health sector stakeholders, with many describing the attack as a blatant threat to the safety of healthcare professionals. The Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, and the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) have since condemned the act, demanding that the perpetrators be dealt with in accordance with the law.
GRNMA has vowed to protect its members against such attacks, warning that an assault on a nurse constitutes an attack on the entire association. The Association has, however, given the government 48 hours to arrest culprits.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
