The Korle-bu Senior Staff Association (KOSSA), has petitioned the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, to investigate the alleged misappropriation of funds by the management of the hospital.
Last month, some senior staff members accused the management of illegally paying over one hundred thousand cedis as bonuses to themselves.
The Secretary of the Association, James Clifford Oblittey, told that the probe is necessary to help retrieve the monies.
“We are hoping that the ministry will establish a committee to probe into the payments. We are calling for investigations into the payments to unravel all circumstances surrounding the payments; and we are also asking for the money to be retrieved. It should be paid back so that we can use the money for patient care.”
It emerged early this year that, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra spent about GHs300,000 on Christmas bonuses for its management and staff members.
The current CEO of the Hospital, Dr. Buckle, is alleged to have received GH¢ 21,000, while other members of the board are said to have taken home, GH¢17,000 each in extra allowances, with each staff member allegedly receiving GH¢100 as motivation.
The Korle-Bu Senior Staff Association, who said the payment smacks of corruption, are demanding that the monies are retrieved from the beneficiaries and used for the service of the hospital.
Mr. Oblittey said, “the board chairman in a media pronouncement stated clearly that, the board has no idea about that payment. Nothing came before the board for consideration either to accept or reject it, and that the whole payment is something they are not aware of. Apart from that, the amount that was mentioned, that is 100,000 is not so. We realized that the amount is around 306,000.”
CALL FOR PROBE INTO UNILATERAL PAYMENT OF ABOUT 306,000.00 ALLOWANCE BY THE KORLE BU TEACHING HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT TO ITSELF AND ALLIED MATTERS.
For over three years now, KOSSA has been embroiled in many exchanges with the Board and Management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital for unprofessional and corrupt conducts.
The most current is the payment of about Gh¢306.000.00 (three hundred and six thousand Cedis) to the Management of the Hospital, this unilateral payment to itself was done around December, 2016.
It is instructive to note that this payment was beside the approved ¢100.00 (one hundred Cedis) paid each staff, including Management, as approved by the Board of Directors. This payment brings to question the competence and integrity of the Chief Executive, the Director of Finance, the Director of Administration and the Chief Internal Auditor.
It thus reveals how unsafe the fortunes of the Hospital are in the light of such gross abuse and act of impunity.
Sir, it is not our pleasure as KOSSA to seem to be constantly at the throat of Management; but when we see the plight of patients and lack of some basic materials that enhance quality health care of client’s vis-à-vis outrageous expenditures on non-essentials, it strikes our concerns.
We wish to refer you to three main letters/reports that we had submitted to your predecessors on health, with the heading: ACTS OF IMPUNITY BY THE KORLE BU TEACHING HOSPITAL BOARD AND MANAGEMENT; The second was dated 20/05/2016 again addressed to the Minister of Health titled: CONSOLIDATION OF FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES TO RUN DOWN THE KORLE-BU TEACHING HOSPITAL (KBTH) BY UNPATRIOTIC PERSONS IN AUTHORITY – FRAUDULENT ELEVATION OF THE KBTH’s INTERNAL AUDITOR TO THE STATUS OF A DIRECTOR.
Sir, in the face of the overwhelming acts of indiscretion, dereliction of duty and professional incompetence, KOSSA calls for a probe into the financial management of the KBTH.
It is our hope a probe will offer the incoming administration to find its feet to revive KBTH to exceed its former glory as the biggest health facility in West Africa with quality health service delivery. It is the hope that KOSSA can be assured of your integrity and co-operation in this national enterprise.
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