Nurses and other health workers at the Manhyia government hospital in Kumasi have suspended their strike action and returned to work. This follows a call by the leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) on the nurses at the facility to resume work on Saturday, December 3.
A statement signed by Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, President of GRNMA and reported by the GNA said the decision to suspend the strike at facility and the roadmap for a nationwide industrial action follows the intervention of various stakeholders and the general condemnation of the action of Mr. Alex Opoku Mensah by the public, media, Ghana Health Service and others.
It is also in response to the plea of patients and clients of the facility to suspend the industrial action to allow due administrative processes and investigations into the alleged verbal assault by the National Service Scheme for a final determination of the incident. The statement called on the nurses at the Manhyia hospital to continue to provide safe and quality nursing and midwifery services to the people in the area.
First of all, The Chronicle congratulates the leadership of the GRNMA for listening to the plea of the stakeholders and calling off the strike. Indeed, prior to the commendable decision, The Chronicle held the view that it was too harsh to call a strike over the incident. We concur with the adage that “to err is human”, but what Mr. Alex Opoku Mensah did was very reprehensible and that was why we dedicated our front pages to highlighting his behavior.
We admit that the House Officer at the Centre of the drama is the daughter of Mr. Alex Opoku Mensah, but with the greatest respect, she is not a child to be reporting workplace issues to the father to also act upon them. Even if the nurse who was verbally abused had even spoken rudely to the House Officer on phone, as being claimed, the best thing to do was to have reported her to the hospital administration and not her father, who does not work at the place.
Regrettably, Mr. Alex Opoku Mensah also followed the blunder caused by his daughter (House Officer) by walking straight to the hospital to question the nurse, instead of reporting the issue to the management for redress. This alone tells a story that Mr. Alex Opoku Mensah lacked managerial skills, contrary to his boasting that he is the Ashanti regional director of the National Service Scheme. A director who doesn’t know simple administrative procedures should not be occupying that enviable position in any institution.
The Manhyia Hospital management is, therefore, right in demanding that he (Alex Opoku Mensah) writes officially to apologise to them. But in the face of all these challenges, The Chronicle does not think it is right for the GRNMA to declare a strike over the issue. Clearly, Mr. Alex Opoku Mensah’s ego has completely been bruised with the way he rained insults on the nurse at the Hospital. This, coupled with the public condemnation of his conduct, should be enough to placate the nursing fraternity to remain calm down and continue with their work.
In our view, the sin of one person should not lead to the suffering of people who patronise the Manhyia Hospital for quality healthcare. The public has spoken for the victim nurse and that should suffice. Any attempt to make a case out of what happened and bring the administration of quality healthcare at the health facility into disrepute will make the very public sympathising with the nurses to turn against them.
The Chronicle does not think this is what the leadership of the nurses at the hospital is looking for, hence our appeal to allow relevant state institutions to take over the case for peace to prevail at the end of the day.
