, Dr. Justice Yankson, has condemned the recent assault on a medical officer at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), describing the act as unacceptable and dangerous to the country’s health delivery system.){kind=link}
Former Vice President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Justice Yankson, has condemned the recent assault on a medical officer at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), describing the act as unacceptable and dangerous to the country’s health delivery system.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, August 22, Dr. Yankson urged the public to exercise patience and respect medical protocols when seeking healthcare. He stressed that the health system does not operate on a “first-come, first-served” basis, as is often assumed.
“We should also begin to understand how the health system works. With all due respect, the healthcare system is not like the supermarket where it is on a first-come, first-served basis,” he explained.
“You may be the first person to enter the health facility, but we may have to end up treating somebody who came in two, three hours after you. The reason is that we have old cases and emergencies. And even within the emergency sector, we have a triaging system.”
He noted that misunderstandings about how care is prioritised often fuel tensions between patients, their relatives, and health staff, sometimes escalating into hostility.
“Sometimes, unfortunately, the patients themselves are not patient, the relatives themselves are not patient, and when they see that attention is being given to someone, they believe that there is something odd and they begin to insult,” Dr. Yankson added.
The assault, which was captured in a viral video, showed relatives of an accident victim attacking health workers at Ridge Hospital’s emergency department.
In the aftermath, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh visited the hospital to reassure staff of their safety, announced strengthened security measures, and launched a probe into the incident. A one-week committee has been tasked with investigating the matter administratively, while the Ghana Police Service pursues the criminal aspect.
Although the police have confirmed arrests in connection with the assault, it remains unclear whether the alleged instigator, Ralph St. Williams, is among the suspects.