Professor Ransford Gyampo has urged healthcare professionals to show greater sensitivity to the plight of patients.
The Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana and Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority stressed that callous or dismissive attitudes from medical officers could provoke negative reactions from the public.
“We need to caution our medical officers against being callous and insensitive to the plight of patients, else people will begin to act in a negative manner against medical staff,” he said on TV3’s Key Points.
His remarks come in the wake of heightened discussions surrounding the Ridge Hospital assault incident and the release of the investigative committee’s report.
Meanwhile, Tony Goodman, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and a member of the committee that probed the incident, has dismissed suggestions that the findings lacked credibility.
Goodman directly responded to criticisms from Jefferson Asare, Greater Accra Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), who alleged that the report overlooked key medical evidence.
“That is not correct. We have spoken with everybody, including the doctor who saw the lady. He is a specialist, and this committee’s work cannot be rubbished,” Goodman said on Channel One TV’s Point of View.
The committee’s final report, submitted to Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, concluded that while no physical assault took place, there was indeed a verbal altercation between Mr. Ralph St. Williams—the man at the center of the controversy—and hospital staff.
On the matter of alleged injuries sustained by Rejoice Tsotso Bortei, a rotation nurse involved in the incident, the committee’s findings stated that no fractures or dislocations were detected in her medical records. However, she received pain medication and psychological support.
