Awudu Mahama, the Managing News Editor, the Custodian Newspaper, has said the Ridge Hospital nurse, Rejoice Tsotsoo Bortei, could be arrested for public deceit.
In the wake of the committee set up by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, a shocking revelation was made that the Ridge Hospital nurse suffered no fracture or shoulder dislocation.
According to the committee, there was no medical evidence to support the claims that nurse Rejoice Tsotso Bortei claims.
Dr. Lawrence Ofori-Boadu, the Chairman of the Committee, added that the alleged victim reported her injuries on August 18, but there were no signs of a fracture in her left wrist or a dislocation in her right shoulder joint.
The committee added that the nurse was treated and given pain relief medication.
Presenting its report to the Health Minister, Dr Lawrence Ofori-Boadu stated, “Rejoice Tsotso Bortei, who is a rotation nurse, reported her injury to the hospital a day after the incident on the 18th of August and was further treated. There was no evidence of fracture on her left wrist or dislocation of her right shoulder joint as documented by the medical records.
“She has, however, been treated and given pain relief, recommended for bed rest, and received psychological support care,” the committee stated.
The committee’s findings directly contradict claims by the nurse that she was assaulted and left with a dislocation.
Reacting to the committee findings, Awudu Mahama noted that if what the nurse at Ridge Hospital said about her shoulder being dislocated was false, she may be arrested for public deceit.
However, Jefferson Asare, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), has insisted the Ridge Hospital nurse was diagnosed with polycontusion.
The GRNMA Accra Regional Chairman disputed aspects of the ministerial committee’s report on the Ridge Hospital assault.
According to Jefferson Asare, the committee failed to speak to the doctor who initially assessed the injured nurse.
Speaking on Channel One TV in reaction to the committee’s final report, Jefferson Asare stated, “I can say on record that the doctor who saw the lady was not even interviewed during the committee sitting. I know that for a fact because the names that were provided for people that were interviewed are here, and the medical report that was written and stamped—I have it. The doctor’s name is here. That doctor was not interviewed”.
“The dislocation was not said by any nurse or any other person than the medical director of Ridge Hospital when we met the medical director,” he explained. “It wasn’t the nurse who diagnosed the dislocation. It was a senior medical officer who saw the lady on Monday morning.”
He further questioned the committee’s rationale behind the committee’s choice of interviewees.
He added, “You go and interview the HOD of that department. What account will the HOD give you? You will need to interview the person who had first sight of the lady in question. Did they interview that doctor? No.”
“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, and pain at the site of the hit. That is when you diagnose somebody with polycontusion,” he explained.
He further queried, “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?”.
Also, the Ministry of Health has dismissed allegations that the committee investigating the alleged assault failed to interview the doctor who assessed the injured nurse.
Meanwhile, Kofi Bekai, a private legal, has said Rejoice Tsotsoo Bortei, the Ridge Hospital nurse who filed a lawsuit against Ralph Saint Williams over allegations of assault and defamation, can still pursue her case in court.
Rejoice Tsotsoo Bortei filed a lawsuit against Ralph Saint Williams over allegations of assault and defamation.
Rejoice Tsotsoo Bortei, in her suit, also accused Ralph Saint Williams of publishing damaging remarks about her on social media.
In the nurse’s writ filed at the High Court, she is demanding GH₵7 million in damages — GH₵5 million for battery and GH₵2 million for defamation.
The private legal practitioner stated, “The only place where a matter can be adjudicated is a court of law”.
“The investigative committee may have conducted a probe and reached a conclusion, but the court can set it aside. The nurse can still pursue her case in court, and the medical examiner who treated her will likely be called to testify”, he added.
The lawyer clarified the legal definition of assault under the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
According to him, assault under the Criminal Offences Act is defined as the intentional and unlawful act of forcibly touching another person without their consent, with the intent to cause harm or pain.
Adding that battery occurs when physical contact is made without consent, and the accused may be charged with both assault and battery, with the severity of punishment determined by the court if it results in injuries.
See the post below:
The Ridge Hospital nurse may be arrested for public deceit… – Awudu Mahama (Managing News Editor, The Custodian Newspaper) #GHOneNews #EIBNetwork #GHOneTV #NewsAlert #GHToday pic.twitter.com/Wcbfakgqqs
— GHOne TV (@ghonetv) August 29, 2025