Abusive Ashanti regional NSS director transferred to Accra

The abusive Ashanti regional director of the National Service Scheme, Mr Alex Opoku-Mensah, has been suspended for two months without pay, as punishment for raining insults on a nurse, with whom his daughter, a houseman at the Manhyia Hospital, had a misunderstanding.

He has also been transferred to the NSS headquarters in Accra to work under direct supervision.

Also, he has been given up to seven days to issue an official apology to the NSS for bringing its name into disrepute.

Mr Opoku-Mensah was suspended last year after an audio recording of the encounter went viral.

However, the management of the NSS, following a probe into the incident, issued a statement announcing Mr Opoku-Mensah will not be paid for his two-month suspension.

Mr Opoku-Mensah was first suspended with immediate effect on Wednesday, 30 November 2022 after the management of the NSS held an emergency meeting with him.

The suspension, according to the NSS, was to allow for a further probe into the incident.

Mr Opoku-Mensah went to the hospital to fight the nurse on behalf of his daughter after the nurse had questioned the house officer on an issue.

The nurse is believed to have used her own phone to call Mr Opoku-Mensah’s daughter to come to the hospital and log into the E-Health System and update a patient’s prescription order so that the patient is not billed for unissued drugs.

It is not clear how the nurse communicated with Mr Mensah’s daughter on the phone which made her feel disrespected.

Mr Opoku-Mensah then followed his daughter to the hospital and was captured on tape insulting the nurse and threatening to mastermind her removal from the hospital.

He went on further to say his daughter is more intelligent than the said nurse and further threatened to come to the hospital in his daughter’s defence anytime she is intimidated by anyone in the facility.

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, in a statement, said they want Mr Mensah sacked in the next 72 hours or they will call on the nurses and midwives of the Manhyia District Hospital to lay down their tools, followed by the whole region and then escalate it to the national level.

The statement said Mr Mensah had no right to enter the hospital to abuse a nurse.

The group said as a Regional Director of the NSS, he should have known that the Manhyia District Hospital has management with whom he could have lodged a complaint instead of barging into the facility to attack the nurse.

Mr Opoku-Mensah later apologised for his action.

He apologised after the GRNMA called for his dismissal within 72 hours or they strike for disrespecting their member and nurses in general. 

In a Facebook post, the embattled Mr Opoku-Mensah said: “I understand the disappointment and appreciate the inconvenience my action has caused the general public as well as the Nursing Fraternity and Manhyia Hospital.

“This has never been my style but for a genuine reason to mediate a persistent issue between my daughter (Doctor) and a colleague nurse who, I, as well, consider my daughter”.

“I do apologise for any mishap and assure all, there shall not be a repetition of such”.

“I look forward to maintaining a cordial relationship with any affected person.”

-Classfmonline