Mahama Government volunteered money financed 11 CHPS compounds
A former Presidential staffer in the Mahama administration, Mrs Emelia Arthur, says contrary to reports that GH¢2.5 million which accrued from 10 per cent cut in the salaries of former President John Mahama and his ministers was missing, the money had been used to build 11 Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds.
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She said there was evidence that GH¢2.19m was used to build CHPS compounds which were meant to bring health services closer to communities.
Breakdown
Giving a breakdown, she said six of the CHPS compounds were built in the Eastern Region, two each in the Greater Accra and Central regions and one in the Volta Regional capital, Ho.
Mrs Arthur said the last project in Ho was left uncompleted after the government lost the general election in December.
"We were leaving office...so it stopped at the foundation level,” she said on an Accra-based radio station.
According to Mrs Arthur, GH¢124,000 was needed to fully complete the Ho project.
Revelation
Officials of the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department (CAGD) last Wednesday said they could not trace the GH¢2.5 million that accrued from the 10 per cent voluntary contributions.
The pay cut totalled GH¢2.5 million at the end of December 2016. Former President Mahama announced the voluntary cut in December 2013.
The amount was deposited in a special account recommended by President Mahama for the construction of the CHPS compounds.
A Deputy Controller and Accountant General in charge of Financial Management Services, Mr Kwesi Owusu, told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at its sitting in Accra last Wednesday that the immediate past Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, directed the transfer of the amount.
The Member of Parliament for Nhyaieso, Mr Kennedy Kankam, had asked what the money had been used for because the account had recorded zero in the 2015 Auditor-General’s Report.
Then sitting President Mahama justified the decision of the Executive to cut their salaries by 10 per cent to support health care, especially in rural areas, and challenged others to follow the example.
