The Health Minister, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has come under intense public scrutiny following the assault of a health professional at the Ridge Hospital.
While some groups and individuals have accused him of mishandling the situation, the Ministry’s Head of Communications, Tony Goodman, insisted that such criticisms are unfair and do not reflect the full scope of the minister’s actions.
According to Goodman, the Health Minister was proactive, responsive, and committed to ensuring justice, and therefore deserves commendation rather than condemnation.
Goodman explained that immediately after the incident occurred on a Sunday night, the Health Minister directed a delegation to visit the hospital the next morning. The purpose of the visit was to gather facts and report back to him.
The minister also met another victim involved in the altercation and subsequently engaged the hospital’s management. He made it clear that he was not going to leave the matter unresolved.
“The minister got the police involved. He got the people who were attacked to go report. They got their medical reports, and they went through treatment.
“When we were leaving the hospital, a car pulled up. Then the guy got down and started shaking everybody, including the medical director of the hospital, the staff of the hospital, and shook the hands of the minister. I’m not sure we want the minister to attack this guy or arrest this guy there.”
Tony Goodman
He argued that the minister’s immediate response was to notify the police, who subsequently took steps to investigate. One suspect fled, while another was apprehended.
Goodman pointed out that the incident captured in the short video circulating online does not tell the full story. “You don’t expect the minister to go out in public… the minister is not a policeman. Ralph, at that time, came to the hospital as a patient.”
At the core of Goodman’s defense is the claim that the Health Minister acted ahead of everyone else, being the first authority figure to visit the hospital and respond to the incident.
He stressed that professional groups and associations only released their statements after the minister had already condemned the assault in an official capacity, making his intervention the earliest and most decisive action.
Health Minister Took Swift Action
According to Tony Goodman, the Health Minister not only visited Ridge Hospital promptly but also wrote to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command and contacted the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to request additional security for the facility.
He further tasked the Adabraka Police Command to continue their investigations, which have already led to at least one arrest. In Goodman’s view, these steps underscore the seriousness with which the minister has approached the matter.
Critics, however, have continued to focus on the handshake, portraying it as evidence of negligence or weakness. Goodman countered this narrative, explaining that the encounter was circumstantial and took place as the minister was about to leave the premises.
“If we just pick the pieces of the issue and then put it out there, let the minister look so bad as to shake somebody in the hospital, is that all that it is to this matter? It is all that the minister has done since this incident happened. It’s not fair.”
Tony Goodman
To provide lasting solutions, the Health Minister has also set up a committee tasked with delivering its findings within seven days.
The committee’s mandate includes investigating the delays that contributed to the escalation of tensions at the hospital, recommending measures to improve security in health facilities, and following through on the criminal aspects of the assault.
Goodman stressed that the public must not lose sight of the minister’s broader actions.
He emphasized that the Health Minister made a strong statement condemning attacks on health professionals, reaffirming that “we have no reason, nobody has any reason to go to a facility, no matter what, to attack the professionals there.”
Beyond rhetoric, the minister engaged law enforcement, coordinated with regional and national authorities, and initiated institutional reforms to prevent recurrence.
In Goodman’s view, these efforts should be recognized as evidence of leadership. He insisted that it is wrong to reduce the entire episode to a handshake that was taken out of context.
“I am expecting the public, the various groups who have issued this statement, to now commend the minister for the job he has done. For going to the hospital, condemning this attack, and providing security.”
Tony Goodman
The incident at Ridge Hospital has sparked a wider debate about security in health facilities and the role of political leaders in responding to such crises.
For Goodman, however, the Health Minister has already shown that he is committed to protecting health workers, strengthening security protocols, and ensuring that perpetrators face justice.
Rather than unfairly criticizing him, Goodman believes the country should acknowledge the minister’s swift and decisive actions in defense of both health professionals and the rule of law.
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