Tony Goodman, the Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Health, has jumped to the defence of the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
According to Tony Goodman, the Health Minister should be commended and not chastised for his handshake with Ralph William.
He further cautioned Ghanaians from picking bits and pieces of the facts concerning the Ridge Hospital assault.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, Tony Goodman stated, “If we pick bits and pieces of the fact and put it as though shaking somebody in the hospital is all there is to this matter, or it is all that the minister has done, it is not fair”.
“On his way, a gentleman came. We cannot say that he knew him. He was later informed by the hospital management that the said gentleman was the perpetrator. The police arrived, and the guy fled; his accomplice was arrested. The minister’s words were clear—‘get the guy arrested,’” Goodman clarified.
“I am sure we should commend the minister for this, not chastise him for a handshake,” he concluded.
His comments come after the Ridge Hospital was thrown into confusion after a self-styled social activist, identified as Ralph St. Williams, stormed the emergency ward and filmed staff while accusing them of delaying treatment for his patient.
In a video that has since gone viral, Ralph is seen with blood on his hands, shouting at doctors and nurses for allegedly ignoring an accident victim he brought in. The footage, which also showed critically ill patients receiving treatment, has sparked concerns about patient privacy and hospital protocols.
According to Ralph, he had waited for over an hour without his ward being attended to. His actions, however, escalated into a heated confrontation, with witnesses reporting that a nurse was assaulted in the process. The hospital later confirmed that the Ghana Police Service had to be called in to restore order.
Additionally, a statement signed by Juliana Hariwa, Head of Public Relations, Ridge Hospital, explained that the incident happened during a period when clinicians were handling multiple emergencies at once. The statement said the activist, together with relatives of the patient, “invaded the emergency triage” in large numbers, disrupting service and creating unnecessary tension.
In addition, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has given the government a 48-hour ultimatum to arrest Ralph Saint Williams and others who assaulted a nurse at Ridge Hospital.
According to GRNMA, the association will advise itself if immediate action is not taken.
Dr David Tenkorang Twum revealed that about eight men physically attacked the Ridge Hospital nurse, leaving her with injuries.
Speaking to the media, Dr David Tenkorang Twum stated, “If anybody can just walk into a facility, like Ridge Hospital, and throw his weight about, and beat like a midwife, and you have other party apparatchiks telling them to edge on, that is unfortunate. We are not happy at all. Our people are traumatised”.
He added, “We are very civilised people. We are professionals. And we are asking the government to arrest the guy immediately and the eight accomplices; we were told there were about 50 guys that day.
But those who laid their hands on the lady there were about eight, including Ralph himself. And therefore, if he’s not arrested within 48 hours, we shall advise ourselves.”
Dr David Tenkorang Twum added, “And we are all guided by law. In that, if you read section 119, subsection 1, it is stated that if you are a worker and you think that your safety is not guaranteed, your life and your health is not guaranteed, you have every right under the law to remove yourself from that danger.
And our people have told us this morning, after interacting with them, that they are not safe. They feel that their safety has been breached.”
Meanwhile, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Health Minister, has revealed that some persons have been arrested in connection with the alleged assault of some nurses at the Ridge Hospital.
The Health Minister stressed that the issue is now being handled by the Ghana Police Service.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh stated, “I can tell you that some arrests have been made. Anybody who says otherwise is not speaking the truth and is not ready to help solve the issue,” Mr Akandoh stressed.
The Health Minister, however, when asked if Ralph Saint Williams has also been arrested, stated, “We should leave the police to do their job. I won’t sit down for things to go wayward in my sector. No one is above the laws of this country”.
“The system is running, and as we speak, I’m getting updates. We are on course”, he added.