Concerned Nurses and Midwifery Association of Ghana (CNMAG) has condemned the General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Dr David Tenkorang-Twum, for his outbursts against the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, over recent assault on a nurse at Ridge Hospital in Accra.

In a strongly worded statement dated Thursday, August 21, 2025, the association stated that they found Dr Tenkorang-Twum's remarks 'unacceptable and unbecoming of a leader of his stature,' particularly in reference to the language he used against Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.

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While acknowledging the legitimacy of grievances expressed by healthcare professionals, the Association emphasised that professional disagreements must be communicated with respect and decorum, especially by individuals in leadership positions.

“… While we continue to stand firmly with our fellow nurses and midwives in their legitimate concerns and struggles, we find the language and description he used in reference to the Honourable Minister of Health to be highly unacceptable and unbecoming of a leader of his stature.

“As a senior representative of the nursing profession, we believe Dr Tenkorang-Twum should have exercised greater discretion, professionalism, and respect in his choice of words, regardless of any disagreement with government policy or actions,” the statement said.

The statement, signed by CNMAG President Abena Serwaa Akoto and Secretary Francis Asaba, further underscored the need for leaders, especially those representing the nursing and midwifery profession, to be diplomatic and mature in expressing their grievances, and to do so without resorting to personal attacks.

They therefore called on Dr Tenkorang-Twum to act professionally and decorously in his future engagements with the public and leadership, in order to protect the image of nurses and midwives across the country and ensure that our collective voice continues to command the respect it deserves.

“Leadership, especially at such a level, demands maturity, diplomacy, and the ability to express dissent without resorting to personal attacks or derogatory remarks. Unfortunately, the approach taken by the GRNMA General Secretary fell short of these standards. We, therefore, strongly denounce those comments and urge him, and by extension all leaders within our noble profession, to uphold the highest standards of decorum and professional conduct in public discourse,” the statement partly stated.

“We trust that going forward, Dr Tenkorang-Twum will reflect on this and demonstrate better judgment in his engagements, so as to protect the image of nurses and midwives across the country and ensure that our collective voice continues to command the respect it deserves,” it added.

The association’s statement comes in response to recent remarks made by Dr Tenkorang-Twum during a media interview, in which he used harsh language against the Minister of Health following the recent violence at the Emergency Unit of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge).

In his remarks, Dr Tenkorang-Twum described as senseless, a suggestion by the Ministry of Health that the violent incident at Ridge could be a result of a delay in giving care to a patient.

He stated that such a notion could only be formed out of ignorance about healthcare delivery, specifically, the assessment of patients to determine their need for treatment or the nature of same.

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“The most disgusting and infuriating thing is the second point; the minister should know that there are systems over there. If he doesn’t understand, he should get somebody to educate him on the triage system. It is such that you can’t say because you are the first person to show up, you should be taken care of. When you come, we will triage you and establish if your ailment requires immediate care or delayed care as compared to others.

“After assessing the patient, when we establish that your situation requires immediate care, they will attend to you immediately. If it requires that you are placed on standby for others to be cared for, they will give you first aid or whatever, but they will attend to other people who need immediate attention. So, that statement does not make sense to me at all; it doesn’t make sense. Whoever wrote that statement doesn’t even understand the hospital system. Why? Is he a farmer? What kind of life is that?” he fumed.

Read the statement below:



MAG/VPO

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