- Nurses at Ridge Hospital have endured at least five separate attacks by patients’ relatives since January, according to GRNMA’s Greater Accra Chairman Jefferson Asare.
- The latest incident, captured in a viral video, involved nurse Rejoice Tsotso Bortei, who has filed a GHS 7 million lawsuit against activist Ralph Saint Williams.
- Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has launched a committee to investigate, with findings expected by August 25.
The emergency ward at Ridge Hospital has become a battleground — and nurses say they’re the ones paying the price.
Since the start of the year, at least five violent incidents involving patients’ relatives have erupted at the facility, leaving health workers shaken and demanding urgent protection. The latest confrontation, caught on video and widely shared online, showed chaos unfolding in the emergency department as tempers flared and staff were physically assaulted.
Jefferson Asare, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), says the situation is spiraling. Speaking on The Big Issue, he described the attacks as a growing threat to frontline workers, warning that overcrowded wards and unchecked aggression are putting lives at risk — not just patients’, but nurses too.
One nurse, Rejoice Tsotso Bortei, was at the center of the August 17 incident. She has since filed a GHS 7 million civil suit against social media personality Ralph Saint Williams, also known as Ralph De Fellow Ghanaian, accusing him of assault and defamation.
The backlash has prompted swift action from the Health Ministry. Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has set up a committee to investigate the incident and broader safety concerns, with a deadline to report findings by Monday, August 25.
For many nurses, the damage is already done. Morale is low, anxiety is high, and the question remains: how many more attacks before hospitals become safe spaces again?
