The Greater Accra Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Jefferson Asare, has urged nurses to step away from unsafe work environments if they feel threatened, following last week’s violent assault on staff at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge).
Speaking on The Big Issue on Saturday, August 23, Asare stressed that the Labour Act empowers health workers to protect themselves when their safety is at risk.
“This information is to every nurse: at any point in time when you feel the environment in which you serve is not safe, please take yourself out of that environment. The Labour Act supports this — it is explicit that if the environment is harmful, you must take yourself off it, not necessarily go home,” he said.
He disclosed that Ridge Hospital alone has recorded no fewer than five separate attacks on nurses this year, describing the trend as deeply troubling.
“I am not saying they shouldn’t go to work again. But if you have about 50 rowdy men in the small space of the emergency ward, and you still stand there to work, they can kill you. In such cases, put yourself out of that environment,” he cautioned.
The comments follow a viral video showing a violent clash between relatives of a patient and staff at Ridge’s emergency department, which has reignited public concern over the safety of health workers.
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has since set up a committee to investigate the incident, directing it to submit its report by Monday, August 25.
Meanwhile, one of the victims, nurse Rejoice Tsotso Bortei, has filed a GHS 7 million civil lawsuit against social media personality Ralph Saint Williams, also known as Ralph De Fellow Ghanaian, for alleged assault and defamation linked to the incident.
Source: Citinewsroom