CEO Of Korle Bu Recounts How Two Accountants Stole $250K Annually From The Hospital

• The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Opoku Ware, has shared his challenge with sanctioning erring hospital staff
• He said the laws governing public service in the country makes it a herculean task to sanction erring civil servants thus promoting impunity
• He recounted how attempts to prosecute two thieving staff of the Korle Bu Hospital has dragged on for years

Dr Opoku Ware Ampomah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, said one of the major challenges of Ghana’s public service is holding people accountable.

He stated that it is very difficult to sanction hospital staff when they err due to the laws governing public service in the country.

According to him, rather than sanctioning a civil servant for committing an offence, the authority must first question them, engage them, issue warnings, etc, before initiating disciplinary actions.

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He said disciplinary actions could also be halted by erring workers filing injunctions and petitions against the process.

This means disciplinary processes take extended periods before any final action is taken.

How accountants looted Korle Bu

He said the situation had played out in an incident in which two staff members of Korle-Bu’s accounts department were found to have been taking $250,000 annually from the hospital.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) was invited to investigate the matter, and the two accountants were subsequently arrested in 2015.

According to Dr Amponsah, despite their 2015 arrest, the two are still facing prosecution, and the case is far from being concluded.

He noted that the slow grind of the country’s judicial system is partly responsible for the impunity exhibited by public servants.

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“Even during COVID, there was a case of some staff who were doing things with the vaccines unauthorised and all that. And when we tried to query them, they went to court and placed an injunction on the disciplinary process,” he said.

Couple sues hospital over baby’s death

A couple has sued St. John's Hospital & Fertility Centre over the death of their baby. The couple is demanding GH¢5 million as compensation for the loss of life and pain caused by the alleged negligence.

The couple, Ekow Andoh and Sandra Tekyiwaa Sackey want the court to declare the hospital vicariously liable for the medical negligence of its health workers.

They said the negligence caused their baby to be diagnosed with severe asphyxia and subsequently led to the baby’s death.

The couple also wants the hospital to cover the cost of the lawsuit.

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Pharmacist sues hospital over wrong prescription

YEN.com.gh reported that a 29-year-old pharmacist has filed a legal case against the Volta River Authority Hospital, seeking GH¢12 million in damages for allegedly being administered the wrong medicine.

The incorrect drug administration resulted in significant harm to the pharmacist's mental and physical health, causing her to be incapacitated.

While the mainstream report focused on medical error, a conflicting narrative on social media suggested that the pharmacist rejected the prescribed medicine due to its cost.

Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh