The Minority caucus has slammed the “unlawful and disruptive actions” of Ralph St. Williams at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge Hospital), pushing for a thorough investigation by the Ghana Police Service. In a statement issued Tuesday, August 19, by the Ranking Member of the Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, the caucus voiced serious concerns over Williams entering the hospital with a group of men, filming staff, patients, and visitors without permission, and causing major disruptions.
“Such behaviour constitutes an affront to public order, the privacy of patients, and the dignity of our hardworking health professionals,” the statement said. “Hospitals are places of care, healing, and confidentiality; they are not theatres for political theatrics or disruptive conduct.” The Minority also referenced Williams’ recent clash with a minority MP that needed police intervention, hinting at a pattern of politically motivated behavior.
The caucus was further troubled by Williams’ “cordial interaction” with Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, suggesting the government might be “romanticising and emboldening” disruptive figures for partisan reasons. “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 statement claimed.
The Minority apologized to Ridge Hospital’s management, staff, patients, and visitors for the disruption and reaffirmed their respect for Ghana’s healthcare professionals working under pressure. They urged the Ghana Police Service to investigate and take legal action, while also calling on the Health Minister and Parliament’s Health Committee to jointly probe the incident.
“The sanctity of our health facilities must be preserved at all times,” the statement concluded. “Under no circumstances should political opportunism or governmental negligence be allowed to compromise the peace and safety of these vital institutions.”
Meanwhile, Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has given a one-week deadline to a new committee investigating the assault on nurses and health professionals at Ridge Hospital.
