Ashanti Regional NSS Boss Suspended
The Management of the National Service Scheme (NSS) has suspended Mr Alex Opoku-Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Director of the Scheme.
His suspension takes immediate effect.
This comes after he was invited for preliminary investigations into an audio of an altercation between him and a nurse from the Manhyia District Hospital.
A press statement from the NSS said he was informed about his suspension on Wednesday during an emergency meeting.
“The Management decision is to allow further investigations into the alleged verbal assault on a nurse on duty at the Manhyia Government Hospital”, a part of the statement explained.
Mr Opoku-Mensah on November 27 stormed the hospital with his daughter- who is a house officer at the Manhyia District Hospital- to rebuke the nurse in question for “ordering” the house officer back to the hospital to put in order a medicine prescription system.
In the audio, Mr Opoku Mensah was heard verbally abusing a nurse.
“It’s Manhyia yours. Who born dog?”, he said.
The nurse retorted, “Manhyia isn’t mine but we are all dealing with patients. I have every right to call her back when her services go wrong to prompt her.”
Mr Opoku Mensah responds, “Is she accountable to you? Is she accountable to you?… Are you mad? Is Manhyia yours … Stupid idiot…You don’t respect…You go out there and read General Arts {and become nurses}. You are a disappointment if you read Science… I can cause you to lose your job. Do you know who I am? I am the National Service Director. Some of you are under me… I always say that General Arts students shouldn’t be nurses.”
The NSS says a committee comprising representatives from the National Service Scheme, Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Education will investigate the incident and submit its reports within one month.
Meanwhile, Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association said it deemed the insults as directed not just at the nurse at the hospital but towards all nurses in the country and, therefore, called for his dismissal.
“The Public Services Commission and the government for that matter should sack the said Regional Director immediately because he is not fit for the Director position he holds in the Public Service ”, a statement from the GRNMA said threatening to strike.
Mr Opoku-Mensah has since apologised for his action stating, “this has never been my style”.
He added that he took that action “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 apologize for any mishap and assure all, there shall not be a repetition of such.”
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
