Sherry Ayittey, Health Minister
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has condemned the recent assault of a nurse at the Kassena-Nankana West District of the Upper East Region.
The community health nurse, Rebecca Pokua, stationed at the Kajelow Community Health Clinic in the district was assaulted when she refused to give extra drugs to a certain Wepia Lawrence, a patient.
The statement signed by the head of Public Relations at the MoH, Dan Osman Mwin, noted that the only ‘crime’ committed by the nurse was her refusal to grant a request of the patient, for additional drugs which was above her authority.
‘The MoH wishes to state that the brutal and inhumane treatment meted out to the hapless and defenseless nurse at her duty post even after her genuine explanation that at the clinical level, she could only prescribe that number of drugs for the culprit, and if he needed more drugs, he could report at the Paga Health Centre, is indeed unacceptable and must be condemned by all well meaning Ghanaians,’ the statement emphasized.
The statement noted that there exist standard treatment guidelines and other treatment protocols that are expected to be strictly complied with by all health professionals in order to stop irrational prescriptions of drugs as well as symptomatic treatment of patients.
‘The Ministry further wishes to inform the general public that diseases are cured through their causes and the number of drugs a patient would be given is neither determined by a nurse nor a patient, but by the medical doctor or a competent health professional authorised to do so,’ the statement emphasized.
It further indicated that if that kind of behaviour is not nipped in the bud, the emerging situation would hamper all the efforts being made by the MOH and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to motivate and persuade health professionals to accept postings to rural communities.
The MoH in the statement wished Ms Pokua a speedy recovery from the terrible predicament, and called on the GHS Regional Directorate and the Regional Chapter of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association in the Upper East Region, to cooperate with the Ghana Police Service to ensure the speedy prosecution of the culprit, and if found guilty, punished accordingly to serve as a deterrent to other like-minded people.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
This article has 0 comment, leave your comment.