The Senior Staff Association of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) is in a tango with the board and the management of the hospital over alleged the mismanagement of the hospital’s funds.
In a petition to the President through the Ministry of Health (MoH), the association accused the board and the management of malfeasance and misuse of funds.
However, the board and the management have dismissed the claims, saying that all efforts were being made to reduce waste and block all leakages to ensure progress and the development of the hospital.
In the petition, the association alleged that the misuse of funds by the board and the management, which had led to poor infrastructure development at the hospital, had also caused avoidable deaths.
It also accused the board and the management of spending more than GH¢1 million on luxury vehicles.
Vehicle purchases
The association, with Mr Charles Ofei-Palm as President, claimed that although the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Rev Dr Albert O. Botchway, already had a vehicle, the board had agreed for him to buy the latest Audi A6 series, fitted with Wifi and google maps for his personal use.
The petition, a copy of which was made available to the Daily Graphic, further indicated that the management and the board had allegedly bought nine brand new VW Passat vehicles and Audi A6, estimated at more than one GH¢1 million.
Shortage of drugs
It said payments for the vehicles were made from the hospital’s internally - generated funds which were meant for the purchase of items that should go into direct patient care.
The petition also cited the case of a 25-year-old sickle cell patient who died two months ago because the hospital did not have common tools such as needles to treat his condition.
It alleged that there was a shortage of drug and non-drug consumables such as sharps, chest drainage and basic medicines at the hospital.
“Some staff in operating theatres are compelled to buy their own surgical gown caps in order to conduct surgical operations,” it further alleged.
Touching on the condition of staff at the hospital, the petition stated that “the staff currently are demoralised and the facility is turning into a death facility, instead of a health facility”.
Appointments
It also questioned the acting CEO’s interest in allowing a GH¢10,000 monthly allowance to a board member, Mr Godfred Ahianyo, even after the Health Minister, Ms Sherry Ayittey, had directed that the payment be stopped.
The senior staff argued that Mr Ahianyo came to the hospital as an appointed non-executive board member with the mandate to serve as Chairman of the Restructuring Committee. Meanwhile, it said, Mr Ahianyo drew full monthly salary, in addition to all privileges enjoyed by directors of the hospital.
It also questioned the appointment of the acting CEO, stating that he also came to the hospital as a non-executive member but he stepped into the office of the Chief Executive who was enjoying full benefits.
The petition, therefore, called for the dissolution of the current board, return the Audi A6 series, the conduct of a forensic audit into the use of funds by the acting CEO and a refund of all monies paid to Mr Ahianyo.It also requested that the acting CEO be made to step down to make way for the appointment of a substantive CEO.
Letter of concern
The board and the management, however, dismissed the allegations at a press conference in Accra yesterday.
The Chairman of the board, Mr Edward Annan, explained that Rev Dr Botchway received a letter of concern from Mr Charles Ofei-Palm, on Tuesday, June 3, 2014 which was entirely different from the allegations Mr Ofei-Palm had made on a radio station yesterday.
He said the letter had the headline, “Statement from Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) on the purchase of Friday wear for staff for free”, only to hear concerns on vehicles and other issues on the airwaves.
The letter, which was made available to journalists, stressed the need for the management of the hospital to prioritise other needs of the staff, instead of the provision of Friday wear which was not a priority.
For instance, the letter said the hospital should consider the health and well-being of the staff by providing a dedicated block for the staff to avoid competing with outsiders for patient care at the hospital.
According to Mr Annan, the board and the management were disappointed when the allegations were made through the media, instead of reporting to the management for redress.
Response to vehicles
Explaining the details of the nine vehicles, Mr Annan said the vehicles were purchased through a hire-purchase scheme offered by the Ministry of Health.
Under the arrangement, he said the hospital was given the offer to pay for the vehicles by instalment of about GH21,000 every month for three years.
He said the acting CEO had, at least, his own two cars he was using before joining the hospital and was given a car, to which he was entitled, when he assumed office.
He said the appointment of the CEO was by due process, while Mr Ahianyo was also taking the allowances of the lowest paid member of the management.
Management and board on course
Currently, he said, the management was doing everything right, adding, however, that if there was anything wrong, the board would address it.He alleged that some board and management members had received death threats and warnings due to the good work they were doing.
For his part, Rev Dr Botchway said before he assumed office, the hospital had GH¢350,000 in its coffers but now the facility was making about GH¢4.7 million every month.
By streamlining how supplies were purchased and tightening the hospital’s expenditure, he said, the hospital was cutting down waste and plugging the loopholes in the system to make good savings for the development of the hospital and ensure transparency.
