The majority in Parliament has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of individuals involved in the alleged assault on health workers at the Ridge Hospital in Accra on Sunday, August 17.
The call follows the circulation of a video showing relatives of a patient clashing with hospital staff at the emergency department during an emergency case.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, August 20, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, strongly condemned the act and urged swift police action.
“I don’t see why the police should not arrest this person and let him go through the process. After all, you’re arrested, granted bail, and if there’s a need to go to court, you go to court. This is the process. I would want the police to ensure that he goes through the process, and whatever happens, that is the law,” Dr Nawaane stated.
He also commended nurses on duty for showing restraint during the incident.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has defended Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh after public criticism over his brief handshake with the alleged perpetrator, identified as social media activist Ralph St William.
The backlash followed a viral video capturing relatives of an accident victim clashing with emergency staff over alleged delays in treatment. The confrontation escalated into a physical assault on a nurse, forcing hospital authorities to call in the police.
In the aftermath, Minister Akandoh visited the hospital to assure staff of justice and to pledge enhanced security at the facility. However, a video of him shaking hands with Ralph St William sparked widespread criticism.
Responding to the backlash, Ministry of Health PRO Tony Goodman said the handshake had been taken out of context.
“If we pick bits and pieces of the fact and put it as though shaking somebody in the hospital is all there is to this matter, or it is all that the minister has done, it is not fair,” Goodman told Citi FM’s Breakfast Show.
He explained that the minister had directed hospital management to provide care for the affected staff, engaged the Greater Accra Regional Police Command, and instructed security to ensure that perpetrators were arrested and prosecuted.
Goodman clarified that Ralph St William fled the hospital before police could apprehend him, though an accomplice was arrested.
“The minister’s words were clear—‘get the guy arrested,’” Goodman stressed, adding that Akandoh had already condemned the attack publicly and demonstrated leadership by prioritising staff welfare and justice.
“I am sure we should commend the minister for this, not chastise him for a handshake,” he concluded.
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