Former Minister of Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye, has strongly condemned the actions of activist Ralf St William, who allegedly disrupted emergency services at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital last week.
Speaking on The Big Issue on Channel One TV on Saturday, August 30, 2025, Dr. Okoe-Boye stressed that the activist’s conduct was unacceptable, regardless of whether or not he assaulted a nurse during the incident.
“We are talking about an ER where failure to administer a particular intervention at a particular time, as a result of disruption, can lead to the death of a person,” Dr. Okoe-Boye said.
“The case of assault is another matter, but just the mere disruption at the ER is like misbehaving in a sanctuary or holy place. That alone is condemnable.”
The controversy stems from an incident at the hospital’s emergency unit, where Ralf St William allegedly reacted angrily to what he claimed was unprofessionalism by hospital staff. He was accused of assaulting a nurse during the altercation.
In response, Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh set up a committee to investigate the matter. The committee later reported that no staff member suffered a physical assault.
However, Dr. Okoe-Boye argued that focusing solely on whether an assault took place distracts the bigger issue.
“People have now moved to whether he hit the nurse or caused a dislocation, and they have conveniently ignored the act of disrupting activities at an emergency,” he noted.
The former health minister, who himself is a surgeon, advised that in situations of dissatisfaction, patients and their relatives should follow due process by contacting the doctor in charge.
“That person in authority has a supervisory role and discretion over activities there. When you ask for the in-charge, everyone else behaves because they know you understand how the system works,” he added.
Dr. Okoe-Boye maintained that the activist’s actions deserved “absolute condemnation” for jeopardising critical healthcare delivery.
