The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Jefferson Asare, has challenged aspects of the ministerial committee’s findings on the alleged assault of a nurse at the Ridge Hospital, insisting that the official medical diagnosis recorded was polycontusion.
The committee, established by Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, presented its report on Wednesday, August 27.
It concluded that there was no medical evidence to support claims that Rejoice Tsotso Bortei, a rotation nurse at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, suffered a shoulder dislocation during the incident on August 18.
According to committee chair Dr Lawrence Ofori-Boadu, medical records revealed no fracture or dislocation, though the nurse was treated with pain relief, advised to rest, and placed under psychological care.
Responding in an interview on Channel One TV, Mr Asare stressed that the medical records were clear and should not be misrepresented.
“The diagnosis of the lady at the time was polycontusion. When we say polycontusion, what do we mean? It simply means that there is redness, there is swelling, there is pain at the site of the hit. That is when you diagnose somebody with polycontusion,” he explained.
He further questioned whether the committee’s report undermined the expertise of the medical officer who first assessed the nurse.
“So do they want to tell us that the doctor who did the diagnosis doesn’t know what he or she is doing? Is that what the committee wants to tell us?” he asked.
Mr Asare maintained that the findings should not obscure the fact of the assault or cast doubt on the competence of the professionals involved in treating the victim.
