The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives’ Association(GRNMA) has called for the dismissal of the Ashanti regional director of the National Service Scheme(NSS), Mr Alex Poku Mensah for verbally abusing a nurse.
The call rides on the back of an audio recording emanating from the Manhyia District Hospital in the Ashanti region in which a male voice is heard raining insults on a nurse.The male voice is said to be that of Mr Alex Poku Mensah
In a press release signed by the president of the GRNMA, Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo and her general secretary, Mr David Tenkorang-Twum, the leadership of the GRNMA demands that Mr Alex Poku Mensah must be relieved of his duties within 72 hours else nurses and midwives of Manhyia Hospital will be called upon to lay down their tools, followed by the whole of Ashanti Region and then it will be escalated to the whole nation.
The association asserts that Mr Alex Poku Mensah should have lodged his complaint to the Medical Superintendent of the Manhyia District Hospital rather than verbally abuse and threaten the nurse in question who was on duty at the time. “He had absolutely NO RIGHT to enter Manhyia District Hospital and verbally abuse and threaten the nurse in question who was on duty at the time”
The statement further directs the Ashanti Regional Branch leaders of GRNMA to report the matter of Mr. Alex Poku Mensah’s verbal abuse and threats to their comrade to the Police immediately and report on same to the GRNMA Headquarters.
The association also wants the Management of Manhyia Hospital to ensure that the House Officer is schooled on her role in the Medical Team. They further urge management of the hospital to take all the professional staff through Team Building and Team Work to foster unity of purpose at the facility.
The statement adds that “all nurses and midwives at the Manhyia District Hospital should remain calm and go about their normal duties and wait for further directives from the leadership of the Association which will happen if need be. Nurses and Midwives around the country are also called upon to continue providing quality nursing and midwifery services to the good people of Ghana and not to be distracted by the actions of Mr. Alex Poku Mensah and his daughter”.
The group advices “all persons holding high positions in the Public or Civil Service to appreciate the fact that, the positions of authority or service they hold, simply involve responsibility to the public and never must be used to threaten, undermine or intimidate the same people it is supposed to serve”.
Background
The exchange of words in the audio recording was between a doctor’s father (the doctor is a house officer) and a nurse.
The nurse is said to have called the house officer (doctor) to come over to the hospital to log into the E-Health system and update the patient’s prescription order so that the patient is not billed for unissued drugs.
The father of the doctor, who seemed not happy with the way and manner the nurse called and the alleged language used over the phone, followed the daughter to the hospital which led to the exchanges in the audio.
The father claimed to be a National Service Director in the Ashanti Region and also a lecturer.