NSS Suspends Ashanti Regional Director ‘With Immediate Effect’

The Ashanti Region Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), Alex Opoku-Mensah, has been suspended.

The suspension follows an emergency meeting held by management of the Scheme on Wednesday, November 30.

According to a statement issued by the Acting Director of Corporate Affairs, Ambrose Entsiwah Jnr, the management decision is to “allow further investigation into the alleged verbal assault on a nurse on duty at the Manhyia Government Hospital in Kumasi”.

Management of the Scheme had assured of investigation into the alleged verbal assault on the nurse as captured in a leaked tape.

Mr Opoku-Mensah is heard raining insults on the Manhyia District Hospital nurse after she called for a review of a prescription by his daughter, who is a junior doctor at the facility.

The now-suspended NSS regional director had apologised for his action.

“I understand the disappointment and appreciate the inconvenience my action has caused the general public as well as the Nursing FRATERNITY and Manhyia Hospital.

“This has never been my style but for a genuine reason to mediate a persistent issue between my daughter(Doctor) and a colleague nurse who I as well consider my daughter.

“I do apologize for any mishap and assure all, there shall not be a repetition of such. I look forward to maintaining a cordial relationship between any affected person,” he stated in a Facebook post on Tuesday, November 29.

Nurses in the Region had, however, called for his dismissal within 72 hours, failure of which they would have laid down their tools.

But junior doctors had justified the prescription given by the doctor and said hospital records showed that they were the right to be administered.

“While we do not condone the actions of the father, it is imperative to set the records straight on the falsehood being peddled to bring the professional competence of the doctor into disrepute,” a statement the doctors issued on Tuesday, November 29 said.

It later added: “We, therefore, entreat all media houses to pull down their broadcast concerning the alleged wrong prescription of medication and entreat the general public to disregard such allegations against the doctor.”

But the statement by the NSS management on Wednesday, December 1 said a committee comprising representatives from the NSS itself, the Public Services Commission, and the Ministry of Education has been constituted “to investigate the matter and to submit its report to the NSS management within one month”.

Mr Opoku-Mensah is expected to appear before the committee on Monday, December 5.