The police are investigating an alleged assault involving an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) and a sister of Ghanaian American comedian Michael Blackson.

UGMC Director of Medical Affairs, Dr Baffour Gyan, said the incident occurred during a dispute over access to the ICU, where Blackson’s mother was receiving treatment.

According to Dr Gyan, the nurse was preventing Blackson’s sister from entering the unit because of established ICU protocols.

“In ICU, there are protocols. You can’t just come in anytime because you want to see your mother,” he explained.

He said the disagreement escalated and the nurse was allegedly slapped during the confrontation.

Dr Gyan said the incident was reported to the police and is now being handled by law enforcement.

“They took that into the police station and the police are handling it. For now, we as an institution have nothing to do with that,” he said.

The incident occurred during the eight-week admission of Blackson’s mother at UGMC, including six weeks in the ICU. The hospital however maintains that restrictions on access to the unit were based on established safety and infection-control protocols.