The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has handed a five-day ultimatum to the General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Dr. David Tenkorang-Twum to retract some comment he made against journalists and apologise or face legal action.
In a viral video which resurfaced after the recent Ridge Hospital assault incident, Dr. Tenkorang-Twum is heard to have said that some journalists have been marked and will be dealt with when they visit any hospital.
Dr. Tenkorang-Twum made the comment during an interview on Accra-based Neat FM in June 2025 while he was reacting to comments by some journalists on the indefinite nationwide strike which was declared by nurses.
He said: “those journalists, we have marked them. They will come and meet us in the hospital; I am serious about this. I said they will come and meet us in the hospital and we will show them that we are professionals. They are in their offices saying all sorts of things they want, but when they come to us, we will prove to them in our consulting rooms that we are professionals. Not that we will do them evil but we will demonstrate that we are professionals. The nonsense they do on the radio, we won’t do the same, we will show them professionalism.”
At a press briefing on Friday, August 29, GJA President Albert Dwumfour described the comment by Dr. Tenkorang-Twum as “reckless” and a “blatant threat of violence against journalists in Ghana.”
Mr. Dwumfour says the GJA finds the remarks by Dr. Tenkornag-Twum as “utterly irresponsible, deeply disturbing, and unbefitting of a leader of a professional health association.”
The Association has since demanded that Dr. Tenkorang-Twum must within five days, retract his “reckless comments, issue an unqualified public apology to all journalists in Ghana and give a clear undertaking that he will never again champion or encourage actions that threaten the safety of journalists.”
According to GJA, should Dr. Tenkonrang-Twum fail to retract and apologise, it reserves the right to pursue legal action against him personally in a court of competent jurisdiction.
“We will hold him fully responsible in law and in public accountability for the consequences of his reckless statements,” Mr. Dwumfour stated.
The GJA noted that it will not hesitate to petition the National Media Commission (NMC), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), and international press freedom watchdogs including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the Federation of African Journalists, (FAJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) should Tenkorang-Twum not apologise and retract his comment.
“We will hold him personally accountable for any harm that befalls journalists in public hospitals or elsewhere as a result of his utterances. We also call on the leadership of the GRNMA to publicly dissociate itself from these comments. Silence on their part will be interpreted as endorsement and complicity.
“Finally, we urge the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Health, and the security agencies to take immediate steps to assure journalists of their safety in hospitals and other public spaces,” the Association declared.
