By Grace Zigah
The Nkenkaasu Government Hospital in the Ashanti Region has issued a formal query to a staff nurse, Bernice Aboagye, after a viral social media video showed her making strong comments against the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh over what she described as “unfair labour practices” in the public health sector.
In a letter dated October 10, 2025, and signed by Dr. Samuel Freeman Mensah, the Medical Superintendent of the Nkenkaasu District Hospital, Ms. Aboagye was accused of using “unprintable, inappropriate, and scandalous words” against the Health Minister during a recent protest by nurses and midwives over unpaid salaries.
The letter, referenced NNAGHS/20/21, directed Ms. Aboagye to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against her for alleged misconduct that, according to management, violates the Ghana Health Service (GHS) Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures.
The hospital cited three specific breaches:
1. Use of unacceptable and inappropriate words amounting to rude behaviour toward the Minister of Health, contrary to Section 8.1(c) of the GHS Code.
2. Use of abusive language against the Minister, contrary to Section 8.1(l).
3. Tarnishing the corporate image of the Service and bringing it into disrepute, contrary to Section 4.1(d) of the Code.
Ms. Aboagye has been given up to October 24, 2025, to respond to the query.
According to the hospital’s letter, the management received several calls from concerned citizens and stakeholders expressing outrage over the video, which has been widely circulated and discussed on social media.
The letter added that the comments had generated “disparaging remarks about the Ghana Health Service,” potentially undermining the institution’s image.
However, the incident stems from growing frustration among nurses and midwives across the country, many of whom have not received salaries for several months despite working full-time at public health facilities.
Ms. Aboagye, according to sources close to the hospital, joined her colleagues in a peaceful protest last week to demand payment of their arrears and better working conditions.
During the demonstration, the nurse is said to have expressed her frustration in an interview, lamenting that 10 months without pay was “an unfair labour practice” and calling on the Minister of Health and other key officials “to hold themselves accountable” for the hardship facing healthcare workers.
“Ten months of working without salary is an unfair labour practice, and the sector minister and major stakeholders should be answering questions and firing themselves over these recurrent atrocities in health,” she reportedly said.
“This should not be embraced as a norm. Attempts to punish young nurses and midwives who are frustrated by the system are misplaced.”
Her comments have since gone viral online, sparking a nationwide debate over freedom of expression within the civil service and the right of health workers to speak out against poor working conditions.
On social media, a growing number of users have rallied behind her using the hashtag #IStandWithBernice, calling her remarks “courageous and justified.”
