However, GNFS has assured that a rescue team from the headquarters is currently on site, working tirelessly to save the victims.

More soon….
Source: Adomonline.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr. Asare said both the Health Ministry and the committee had failed health workers with their findings.

“We are very disappointed because what the committee brought out and the mandate given them were not the same. This is very demoralising for all health workers,” he said.

According to him, the committee was tasked to investigate whether or not an assault occurred, but “they didn’t even address that directly.”

Mr. Asare further alleged that the committee was not transparent in its work.

“It is as if the Ministry sat down and set up their own committee amongst themselves. That will never make the results transparent,” he argued.

He raised concerns about the nurse, Rejoice Tsotso Bortei, who reportedly sustained a hand injury during the incident.

“The nurse developed a fracture as confirmed by the doctor. But the committee didn’t even invite that doctor, who signed the medical report, to speak. How can you leave out the person with first-hand information?” he questioned.

Mr. Asare also criticised the committee for relying solely on video footage provided by Mr. Ralph St. Williams, the accused, since the trauma centre itself had no CCTV cameras.

“The committee has a lot of questions to answer. Are they telling us the doctor who diagnosed the bruises and swelling didn’t know his job?” he asked.

Meanwhile, the committee’s final report, presented to Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh on Wednesday, stated that while video footage and eyewitness accounts confirmed a heated verbal exchange between Mr. St. Williams and hospital staff, there was “no evidence of physical assault.”

The report also highlighted broader systemic problems at the facility, including inadequate staffing, weak security measures, and malfunctioning diagnostic equipment.

It further indicated that although the nurse later complained of pain in her left hand, medical checks showed no fracture or dislocation. She was treated with pain medication and offered psychological support.

But Mr. Asare insists the report ignored crucial medical evidence and has left nurses across the country feeling unsafe and unprotected.

“If the Ministry that oversees us wants to do things wrongly, it won’t help anyone. This is very sad,” he lamented.

Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

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The probe, however, uncovered that all major diagnostic imaging equipment, including the X-ray, CT scan, and MRI machines, at the hospital’s Emergency Department was non-functional at the time of the incident, forcing critical tests to be conducted at external facilities and fueling public frustration.

No Delay in Emergency Response

According to the committee’s report presented to Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, medical staff promptly attended to the patient with a suspected head injury upon arrival at the Emergency Department. This directly contradicts claims circulating on social media that alleged neglect by hospital staff led to the altercation.

“Clinical care commenced without delay,” the report stated. “The treatment process was, however, hampered by the unavailability of functioning diagnostic imaging equipment on-site.”

Equipment Failures Blamed for Treatment Delays

The absence of operational X-ray, CT scan, and MRI facilities significantly prolonged the patient’s treatment timeline. The report noted that the patient had to be referred to external facilities for diagnostic services, a common occurrence that has long frustrated patients and caregivers at Ridge Hospital.

The committee said the breakdown of these essential machines undermined public confidence in the facility and contributed to tensions on the day of the incident.

No Proof of Physical Assault

Despite viral videos suggesting a violent confrontation, the committee found no evidence of a physical assault against Ms. Rejoice Tsotso Bortei, a rotation nurse who claimed to have been attacked. Video evidence only confirmed a heated verbal exchange involving Mr Ralph St. Williams, a group of riders, and hospital staff.

Ms. Bortei later reported pain in her left hand but medical examinations revealed no fractures or dislocations. She has since received pain relief and psychological support.

Security and Staffing Shortcomings Exposed

Beyond the incident itself, the committee’s findings painted a troubling picture of the hospital’s preparedness for emergencies:

Inadequate Security: Only one private security officer was assigned per 12-hour shift at the Emergency Department, a setup the committee described as “grossly inadequate.” Although there is a police post on the premises, it is far from the ED, resulting in slow response times during disturbances.

Severe Staff Shortages: The Emergency Department operated with just one medical officer per shift in August, supported by only seven medical officers and two specialists for the entire month. Out of 88 nurses expected, only 54 were available, with 34 having vacated their posts without replacements.

Overstretched Facility: The ED operated at nearly full capacity round-the-clock, handling most trauma and acute medical cases in Accra, a situation worsened by the absence of a functioning hospital in La.

Recommendations for Reform

The committee made several recommendations to prevent a recurrence of such incidents, including:

1. Increasing security personnel and deploying police support during peak hours.

2. Expanding CCTV surveillance at the ED for improved monitoring.

3. Recruiting additional medical and administrative staff dedicated to emergency care.

4. Repairing or replacing all non-functional diagnostic equipment.

5. Strengthening emergency care systems nationwide and ensuring adherence to treatment protocols.

Mr. St. Williams Responds

Mr. Ralph St. Williams, the man whose confrontation with hospital staff sparked the incident, denied physically assaulting anyone. In a written statement and video submissions, he claimed his actions were driven by frustrations over systemic delays rather than personal animosity.

He admitted being “provoked by comments made by a nurse” but maintained that his live-streamed videos were intended to expose service delivery gaps.

A Wake-Up Call for the Health Sector

The Health Minister is expected to review the recommendations for immediate action. The committee stressed that while Ridge Hospital’s staff acted professionally during the incident, systemic failings, especially in equipment and staffing, remain a critical threat to emergency care delivery in Ghana.

Source: Myjoyonline  

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Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, the Minister said the matter is now in the hands of the police.

“I can tell you that some arrests have been made. Anybody who says otherwise is not speaking the truth and is not ready to help solve the issue,” Mr. Akandoh stressed.

When asked if the man identified as Ralph Saint Williams and his accomplices, who allegedly attacked a nurse, were among those arrested, he explained that the police must be given the space to do their work.

“We should leave the police to do their job. I won’t sit down for things to go wayward in my sector. No one is above the laws of this country,” he added.

According to him, government is fully on top of the matter and has been receiving regular briefings from the hospital.

“The system is running, and as we speak, I’m getting updates. We are on course,” he assured.

His comments follow the circulation of a viral video showing relatives of a patient physically attacking medical staff at the emergency department of Ridge Hospital, sparking public outrage and renewed concern about the safety of frontline health workers.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to government to arrest Ralph Saint Williams and his accomplices, warning that failure to act could lead to further action by the Association.

Source: Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

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The presence of the tigers in the community, according to the residents, is making them unsafe.

Daily Guide reports all efforts by the residents to get the owner or the management of the facility to evacuate the tigers have proven futile as on most occasions, their complaints are met with hostile responses.

Some of the residents claim that “the animals stink. Those animals are held inside an apartment where there is no access to proper fresh air.

“As soon as the door is open, you sniff a strong unpleasant smell emanating from them,” one resident said.

Another resident also said, “They are opened early in the morning and then sent inside around 10:am. They pee and poo on the floor. They also make noise which disturbs our sleep.”

“There are no tranquilisers nor any proper training. In the event of any unfortunate incident, no one knows what would happen to us,” lamented another.

According to the residents, they noticed the presence of the animals since November last year when they were cubs and had thought that after a short period the animals would be taken to an appropriate facility, but that was not to be.

“It doesn’t make any sense to have wild animals, tigers for the matter, in an estate in the heart of the city where there is just less than a meter between the houses and also without any proper training and care [for them],” they bemoaned.

They also alleged that while trying to engage the owner to evacuate the animals, he rather built a structure for them right by the side of their apartment.

“When we saw them building [the structure], we asked them which institution gave the authorisation for them to put up such structure for the animals in a residential area.

“They told us they did not owe us any explanation and so will not provide any such authorisation to us. Even if they had any such authorisation, it only belonged to them,” they alleged.

Attacks

There are reports that one of the tigers once confronted a resident (male) who had to run for his life.

Another resident is also alleged to have sustained some injuries as a result of an encounter she had with one of the tigers which left bruises on her feet.

Reports

The residents also indicated that they reported the development to the Ghana Wildlife Society about a week ago, and were promised to take the matter up to be looked into but there has not been any positive feedback since.

The residents continued that no official from the society had come to tell them anything but spotted some officials believed to be from the Society in the company of Nana Bediako on Sunday, May 15, 2022, in the estate but “they did not tell us anything.”

“Anytime we called to find out how far, they keep tossing us. We are told sometimes that the officials had travelled, and a lot of back and forth.

“They don’t tell us anything and that is the reason we intend reporting to the matter to the police if we don’t hear from Wildlife Society after some time.”

At the moment, the National Theatre, which is Ghana’s most preferred edifice for use in national activities, can only accommodate 1,400 Ghanaians.

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Meanwhile, the edifice expected to be a 20,000 seater facility at Ridge in Accra will serve as a venue for national ceremonies including swearing-in of elected presidents, laying-in-state purposes and major Christian programmes among others.

The Cathedral, sited next to Ghana’s Parliament building was proposed by the government in March 2017 during Ghana’s 60th independence anniversary.

The move, according to the ministry, forms part of Ghana’s efforts to prevent and control any case that may be detected.

The Ministry, in a statement on Monday, said “it has triggered the country’s emergency preparedness and response plan amidst the rising number of infections from the novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in other countries of the world.

“Ridge Hospital and Tema General Hospital have been designated as initial case management centres.

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 “Regional Directors have been instructed to designate holding and treatment centres in their respective regions. We are preparing to designate more centres in the highly populated areas of Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale.”

It assured Management Activated- teams to manage cases at the designated national centres are receiving orientation on the management of cases.

Meanwhile, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research has indicated that it has the capacity to diagnose coronavirus infection and has since been designated as the laboratory for investigating the virus.

The Ministry pledged it is closely collaborating with the World Health Organisation, Veterinary Services Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention among others to execute the country’s emergency response plan.