The committee investigating the August 17, 2025, incident at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH), popularly known as Ridge Hospital, has concluded that there was no delay in providing initial emergency care to the patient at the centre of a widely publicised confrontation.
The probe, however, uncovered that all major diagnostic imaging equipment, including the X-ray, CT scan, and MRI machines, at the hospital’s Emergency Department was non-functional at the time of the incident, forcing critical tests to be conducted at external facilities and fueling public frustration.
According to the committee’s report presented to Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, medical staff promptly attended to the patient with a suspected head injury upon arrival at the Emergency Department.
This directly contradicts claims circulating on social media that alleged neglect by hospital staff led to the altercation.
“Clinical care commenced without delay,” the report stated. “The treatment process was, however, hampered by the unavailability of functioning diagnostic imaging equipment on-site.”
The absence of operational X-ray, CT scan, and MRI facilities significantly prolonged the patient’s treatment timeline. The report noted that the patient had to be referred to external facilities for diagnostic services, a common occurrence that has long frustrated patients and caregivers at Ridge Hospital.
The committee said the breakdown of these essential machines undermined public confidence in the facility and contributed to tensions on the day of the incident.
NKONKONSA.com
