The nurse at the Manhyia Government Hospital who suffered verbal assault from the Ashanti Regional National Service Secretariat (NSS) boss, Alex Opoku-Mensah,is reportedly undergoing psychological treatment. She is said to have also been relocated from her home for security reasons.
The General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), David Tenkoreng-Twum, explained her removal was to support her psychological health.
“As I am talking to you, we have removed the nurse as quickly as possible from the hospital. The said nurse is now being given psychological support to ensure her mental safety,” he told JoyNews.
The General Secretary argued that the nurse could take her life over the matter. He claimed that the nurse in question is not psychologically and emotionally stable to work now.
“We shouldn’t take these things lying low; we have worked in the health sector for a very long time and we appreciate the challenges posed by these issues. Therefore, we are doing what is needed to protect our people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the association has asked government to transfer the National Service Secretariat (NSS) boss.
Though the Ashanti Regional NSS boss, Alex Opoku-Mensah, who followed his daughter, a house officer, to her workplace to verbally attack the nurse has rendered an apology, his employer, the NSS has commenced investigations into the matter.
REPORTS
According to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the GRNMA, Jones Afriyie Anto, the house officer prescribed four different medicines to be given to a 2-year old child through the E-health system, but two of the drugs were not available at the pharmacy.
He added that to avoid any unfortunate situation, the nurse informed the doctor on duty to do the needful, but the challenge could only be rectified by the house officer who prescribed the medication.
“The nurse on duty, sensing danger, called the house officer, who was then at home, to come to the hospital to avert the challenge. Unfortunately she didn’t pick the calls.
“It took a colleague doctor who called her back to the hospital. The nurse then said to her, ‘so you wouldn’t have come if your colleague doctor had not called you?” he added.
This, according to the information gathered, did not go down well with the house officer, leading to a misunderstanding between the two that was eventually resolved amicably.
According to the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Hussein, the house officer is said to have taken offence at how the nurse spoke with her and thus protested.
Dr. Hussein said the house officer happened to be in the company of her father when she spoke with the nurse on the phone.
As such, Mr. Opoku-Mensah was infuriated by the turn of events and followed his daughter to the hospital.
Below is the Transcribed Audio of the Nurse being verbally abused by the Ashanti region NSS Boss, after the Nurse was alleged to have called his daughter, a House Officer at Manhyia Hospital, to come and change a prescription for a patient. Some parts have been translated from Twi to English.
Nurse: I respect you…(interruption)
NSS Boss:What insulting words have I used…?
Nurse: You are saying I envy her, for what reason? She is a doctor, me too I’m a nurse.
NSS Boss: And so what?
House Officer: Daddy please I beg you.
NSS Boss:You are a nurse, are you her equal part? What kind of behaviour is that? That is why I asked you, what course did you do in secondary school?
Nurse: I did Science.
NSS Boss: Frustrated, very frustrated, I could have showed my daughter’s form two November results to you. What kind of behaviour is that? Is Manhyia (Hospital) for you?
Nurse: Daddy, Manhyia (Hospital) is not mine.
NSS Boss: Who born dog?
Nurse: Manhyia isn’t mine, but we are all taking care of patients here, I have every right to make sure the patient’s prescription is right.
NSS Boss: Has she run away from the patient? Has she? Answer me.
Nurse: How do I intimidate her? For what reason?
NSS Boss: What kind of behaviour is that? Why do you do a work you’ve not been sent to do?
Nurse: What work have I done that I’m not supposed to do. Should I let some wrong happen before I act?
NSS Boss: Is she accountable to you? And you talk to her rudely on phone. What kind of behaviour is that?
Nurse: Daddy, you said per what she told you and not what you heard.
NSS Boss: You have exhibited your behaviour.
Nurse: You told me I envy her.
NSS Boss: Yes.
Nurse: For what reason?
NSS Boss: You envy her.
Nurse: For what reason? Am I not a nurse?
NSS Boss: If you’re a nurse, are you a doctor?
Nurse: Then why didn’t she come to administer it and went away. Why didn’t she come when I called her?
NSS Boss: Is she accountable to you?
Nurse: Daddy I don’t want any argument.
NSS Boss: Is she accountable to you? Learn to be remorseful. When you do something wrong accept your fault. Who born dog. Who are you?
Nurse: What wrong have I done? I have every reason to question her. What if I also bring my father here.
NSS Boss: Go and bring your father here.
Nurse: I have every right to question her if something should go wrong concerning the patients we are all taking care of.
NSS Boss: Is she accountable to you?
A voice: What did I do wrong?
NSS Boss: Don’t use your left on her, Foolish girl. That’s why I said you envy her, Are you mad? Why should you be doing that? Is Manhyia yours? Sit down.
Nurse: I won’t sit down, leave me.
NSS Boss: You don’t respect. Stupid Idiot. You don’t respect. Kelvin, I’m very happy you are here.
A Voice: Your mannerism and all that…
NSS Boss: You don’t respect, that your stupid nursing you do. Are you mad?
Nurse: We all contribute to the development of this country, you can’t come and intimidate me here.
A voice: You feel intimidated? You feel intimidated?
NSS Boss: That General Arts you people do, if you did Science then you’re a disappointed nurse….You are mad. Stupid lady. You don’t respect.
A Voice: You feel intimidated?
NSS Boss: What School did you go to? My daughter attended St. Louis, she had 6As and B even when she was in form two. Look at something that is talking about a human being.
Nurse: Daddy, look at your daughter’s face and look at mine.
NSS Boss: What is in your face? Is it the Jesus face or Mohammed’s face? If she does something wrong to you (House Officer) again tell me, I will use my power, I can have them transfer you from here. Do you know who I am? I have introduced myself…I am the regional National Service Director, some of you, you are under me.
Nurse: Do you know my father too?
NSS Boss: What father? Stupid. Does the work belong to your father?You don’t respect. If a doctor makes a mistake don’t you have instructions? Can’t you report her? You call her on phone, come to work. You are mad, stupid idiot.
NSS Boss: Come to work as if I have abandoned a patient. You feel intimidated?
Nurse: Daddy…..
NSS Boss: Don’t call me Daddy, you don’t respect, don’t call me Daddy. I always say it, General Arts students don’t have to do nursing, I always say this. What school did you even attend? My daughter attended St. Louis, she wrote Nov-Dec in form two and had 6As, Chemistry she had B2 and English… Stupid, you have no respect. You will stay here like this.
Nurse: You are joking.
NSS Boss: Look at the way she is talking to me. Anytime you approach my daughter wrongly, I will come to you. Where do you come from? When you come from your villages…..do you know how the hospital was even built?Stupid. Villager, and you’re saying “look at your daughter’s face”….even if my daughter’s face is like gutter..she’s still a doctor….we don’t go into doctoring with beauty.
Do you have a doctor in your house? That “I am a nurse”, stupid nurse. I am a science tutor. If it was left for me alone, those I will allow to do nursing in Ghana are Home Economics and Science students. When you go and do that your useless General Arts for nursing and you come and sit here with no respect for people.
I am the Regional Director of NSS. Some of you, maybe you’re doing national service. I don’t want to see nurses with General Arts. Why don’t business students do nursing? Is it not Integrated Science? What do you know? You don’t respect anybody. Your negligence can even kill a patient.
Nurse: Then your daughter is more dangerous than us.
NSS Boss: If you don’t respect human beings….you will suffer on this earth. If I were you I would have said this is administrative …….so the Doctor isn’t the one I have to report to. Who are you to intimidate my daughter? Stupid, will you be able to do Medicine if you’re asked to?
It is not fine to do that.What kind of behavior is that? If she does that again, tell me. I can have you transferred from here. I am not boasting, I have showed you who I am.
I am the Regional Director of National Service. You sit here with your stupidity, nonsense. Foolish woman. You don’t respect. Imagine this going to marry a man. It is not fair madam.
How can you be here intimidating someone. I am a leader, If someone wrongs you, you could have come to the highest authority, isn’t it?
You are mad. When you see my daughter, insult her and you will see.Come and show her your certificate…not the Medicine one, the SHS one…how many of you got As.
I was a Science tutor at KNUST before …..That is why I keep saying if it was left for me alone, the only people qualified to do nursing will be those who studied Home Econs and Science.
When you study your General Arts and your stupid Integrated Science…… then you will be on the… twerking. All you know is to twerk, is that professional….. Stupid, to say my daughter is ugly.
Do you have a doctor in your village? Does my daughter look ugly? Wouldn’t you have been happy if she was your sister? When you are working with the government you think the work is yours.
When she fools insult her…Insult her. A lot of my students are nurses here. Do you know Atika?
His daughter is a nurse here. You are mad. Look at this thing… If you’re asked to study medicine, can you do it? When you sleep with men this is how you misbehave.
By Maxwell Ofori & Jennifer Ambolley
