Minority demands arrest, prosecution of Ralph over ‘reckless’ conduct at Ridge hospital

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called on the Ghana Police Service to immediately arrest and prosecute social media activist Ralph St. Williams for storming the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital) and allegedly assaulting a nurse.

In a statement dated Tuesday, 19 August, and signed by the Ranking Member on the Health Committee, Dr Nana Ayew Afriye, the caucus described the altercation as “unlawful, reckless and deeply inconsiderate.”

The statement condemned the act as a violation of the ethical standards that guide healthcare institutions, stressing that hospitals are centres of care, healing and confidentiality, not platforms for political theatrics or disruptive behaviour.

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It stated:

The Caucus unequivocally condemns these actions as unlawful, reckless, and deeply inconsiderate of the ethical standards that govern our healthcare institutions. Hospitals are places of care, healing, and confidentiality; they are not theatres for political theatrics or disruptive conduct.

It added:

We note with disquiet that this same individual was only recently involved in a public altercation with a minority Member of Parliament, which required police intervention. His latest misconduct forms part of a worrying pattern of behaviour that ought to attract national censure rather than tacit endorsement.

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The caucus also highlighted concerns about a “worrying pattern of behaviour,” recalling that the same individual was recently involved in a public altercation with a Minority MP, which required police intervention.

Of further concern, according to the statement, was the fact that the activist was seen in a cordial interaction with Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh during a fact-finding visit to the hospital on Monday, 18 August.

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It is becoming increasingly apparent that the government has, by its silence and gestures of accommodation, given licence to individuals aligned with or sympathetic to the National Democratic Congress to engage in needless acts of intimidation, disorder and political violence under the guise of activism.

The Minority apologised to the management and staff of Ridge Hospital and urged the police to conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate legal action to prevent future incidents. They further called on the Minister of Health to initiate an inquiry, in collaboration with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, to address the circumstances that led to the altercation.

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The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), and other professional bodies have also condemned the incident. Meanwhile, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has given a newly constituted committee a one-week ultimatum to investigate the matter.