A man who assaulted a midwife at the Community 22 Polyclinic in Tema has been ordered to pay a fine of 100 penalty units by the Community 22 District Court.
The court further ordered the convict, Desmond Bosomtwe, to pay GHS 5,000 in compensation to the complainant and nurse Priscilla Addo.
He has also been barred from visiting the Tema Community 22 Polyclinic for the next 12 months, effective Tuesday, June 9, the date of judgment.
The court made him to sign a bond of good behaviour.
In an interview with Citi News on Tuesday, the Deputy National PRO of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Philemon Gyapong welcomed the court’s decision although he noted that the Association expected a stronger deterrent action.
“He was made to sign a bond of good behaviour. He’s to pay a compensation of GHC5,000 to the midwife. The judiciary has acted timeously, and that is what we expected.
“We had hoped the gentleman would receive a stiffer punishment to serve as a deterrent to others. But that is what the law says, we accept it,” he said.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, June 2, when the senior nurse Priscilla Addo was attacked by a relative of a patient while enforcing the facility’s visiting hours policy.
She approached visitors to inform them that official visiting hours had ended. She requested that they leave the ward to maintain a serene environment for patients, in line with hospital protocols.
However, Desmond Bosomtwe, a relative of a patient, refused to comply, leading to a heated verbal exchange that escalated into an assault on the midwife.
