Revenue Impasse: KBTH CEO acted on my blind side, action unfair – Minister

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, has said the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Felix Anyaa, erred in his decision to terminate the hospital’s revenue collection contract with uniBank, without his [Minister’s] approval in the absence of the institution’s governing board.

Korle Bu Teaching Hospital earlier in the year opted out of an agreement it had with Unibank to provide a system for the collection of revenue, claiming that uniBank had not delivered to their satisfaction hence the decision to terminate their contract.

However uniBank in a statement on the matter said the claims by Korle Bu are false and baseless.

It further petitioned the Presidency leading to the intervention by Deputy Chiefs of Staff Samuel Abu Jinapor and Francis Assenso Boakye, who have since been accused of corruption, by musician Kwame Asare Obeng, aka A Plus.

His accusation against the two, led to President Akufo Addo referring the matter to the CID for investigation, but at the end of it the duo were cleared of any wrong doing.

Abu Jinapor and Francis Assenso Boakye, had argued that in the absence of a board at the hospital, due process was not followed in the selection of Stanbic Bank.

Speaking on Joy FM Monday, Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu said Dr Anyaa cannot take such major decisions and implement them without first consulting the Minister especially as the hospital currently has not board, adding that the CEO’s action is not the best practice in the governance of any insititution.

“If you’re a Chief Executive, you look up to your board to do approvals. You can’t spend, you can’t sign a contract and can’t go into any agreement with anybody apart from the board approving. In the absence of the board you seek authority from your Minister. Dr Anyaa’s action was wrong.

He noted that other chief executives such as the FDA boss, who currently don’t have governing boards always come to him for authorization before they take major decisions, adding that Dr Anyaa must emulate same.

“Has he[Dr Anyaa] come to me to complain that there’s a stalemate, we’re loosing revenue and that he wants to change the bank collecting them money, no! Why should he put such statement in the public domain when he’s refused to do what he should have done. I’m surprised, I don’t think we should interrogate these things on the radio like this. Let me interrogate with Dr Anyaa and find out what other things that he may be doing on the blind side of the Minister, it’s unfair.”