KEY POINTS
- Prof. Beyuo defends health complaint mechanisms
- He condemns Ridge Hospital assault as unacceptable.
- Citizens urged to pursue legal redress channels.
A member of Parliament’s Health Committee has warned Ghanaians against taking the law into their own hands when aggrieved by the conduct of health professionals, following last week’s assault on staff at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, also known as Ridge Hospital.
Speaking on Wednesday, August 20, Prof. Titus Beyuo, a medical doctor and legislator, condemned the incident and urged citizens to rely on existing redress mechanisms rather than resorting to violence.
Systems do work
“Have you not seen people sued and asked to pay millions of cedis in this country?” Beyuo asked. “We have doctors who have been suspended for practice. I have served on a professional and disciplinary committee of one of the regulatory authorities and we’ve struck the licenses of registered practitioners for not meeting the standard.”
He rejected claims that patients and their families have no avenue for accountability, adding that hospitals and regulators have investigated and sanctioned staff in serious cases.
Citing past investigations
Beyuo recalled a case in which a man in his seventies died after hospitals reported having no available beds. “A thorough investigation was done,” he said, explaining that regulators examined triage procedures at each stage against international standards.
“These mechanisms exist, and they work,” he insisted. “So we shouldn’t dare say that because the system may not respond promptly, people can take the law into their own hands.”
Warning against a dangerous precedent
Drawing parallels, the lawmaker questioned whether the same logic would justify attacking teachers or police officers. “If you feel your teachers haven’t taught your kids well, do you go to the school and beat them? Or if justice delays, do you walk into a police station to beat officers?”
Beyuo described the attack on Ridge Hospital staff as unacceptable, especially in an environment where patients are already vulnerable.
Use the law, not fists
The MP urged the public to rely on courts and regulatory bodies to hold health workers accountable. “People can cease to practice as nurses, doctors, or pharmacists for not meeting standards,” he said. “That is the direction we should be going. It should not give anybody the opportunity to walk into a hospital and beat doctors and nurses.”
