Health Minister Akandoh offers to pay medical bills of nurse assaulted at Ridge hospital
The Minister of Health has pledged to settle the medical bills and replace the stolen phone of a nurse assaulted at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge, and has also set up a committee to investigate the incident, delays in treatment of patients, and security lapses at the facility.
Tony Goodman, the Head of Communications at the Ministry of Health, stated this in a radio interview with Accra-based Citi FM on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
“When the Minister got to the facility, he went to see this nurse and told her, I am going to make sure your bills are taken care of. The lady said she had lost some money on her phone. The Minister said I am going to make sure we give you all those things,” Mr Goodman said.
The incident, captured on video, involved a man identified as Ralph, who disrupted services at the hospital’s Emergency Department while livestreaming on Facebook. A nurse and another staff member were allegedly injured during the disturbance.
Mr Goodman said the Minister was the first government official to visit the hospital after the assault and personally condemned the attack.
“The Minister has since written to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command. He has spoken with the IGP to provide additional support. He has asked the Adabraka Police Command to do their job. They have since arrested one of the guys,” he said.
Responding to public criticism over a video showing the Minister shaking hands with the suspect, Mr Goodman explained that the handshake occurred after hospital management identified Ralph at the scene.
He said the Minister did not know him and immediately directed the police to act.
“The Minister is not a policeman. Ralph, at that time, came to the hospital as a patient. We don’t expect the Minister for Health to be attacking a patient in a hospital. He has asked the police to do the right thing,” Mr Goodman stated.
On security concerns, Mr Goodman said the Minister has tasked the committee to assess high-risk points at Ridge Hospital, including the Accident and Emergency Unit, the Outpatient Department, and the morgue, and to recommend whether police should be stationed there.
“The committee has been asked to complete its work within seven days and look into three things: the delay that led to this whole situation at the hospital, how to prevent future security breaches, and to pursue the criminal aspect of this matter,” he added.
The police are pursuing Ralph, who fled the hospital after the Minister’s visit, while his accomplice has been arrested.
