Sawla NHIA boss sexually assaulted me at the consulting room – Nurse reveals

Doreen Smith, a nurse at the Soma CHPS Compound at the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region has exclusively told GhanaWeb that the District Director for the National Health Insurance Authority sexually assaulted her at the consulting room of the compound.

She refuted earlier reports that suggested she invited the NHIA boss, Mahama Sakara, to her house purposely for revenge.

"Even when you listen to the recording, he said he had been following me for a very long time. I never invited the man to my house. The man came to the facility early in the morning. It was in the consulting room. When the incident happened, I reported him to the community assemblyman and their chief."

According to Miss Smith, she was not in the known Mr Sakara was coming to the Soma CHPS Compound that morning, adding that Mahama Sakara confessed to her that, he found out after investigations that she was at post, hence, he drove his motorbike to the facility.

"When he was coming, I never knew. He said he called someone, and the person told him I was at the facility. Even when he was coming, my colleague I was working with, also saw him. But he was going to Wa to do his voters ID card."

The nurse indicated that Mr Sakara had come to her CHPS compound under the guise of monitoring but turned around to make sexual advances at her.

She said that even though he did not succeed in having sex with her, the NHIA boss succeeded in fingering her in the process of struggle.

She revealed to GhanaWeb that, it was the second time the NHIA boss was sexually assaulting her.

"This is the second time, I didn't want it to happen the 3rd time. That was why I reported the case. I respect myself a lot, this is not the first time, the man (NHIS Boss) did this," she fumed.

The nurse added that though there is pressure from close friends of Mr Sakara to drop the charges against him, she's not ready to do that as the man involved is not regretful of his actions.

"The following day, the man (NHIS boss) even called me and asked, didn't I know that I could have killed him? and I asked him, Was I killing you? And he said in the Twi dialect, Kumi Preko. So it looks like, he has not even regretted what he did to me," she told GhanaWeb.

She reported the case to the Assemblyman, Chief and the Police because she was concerned about her safety.

"I first informed the community assemblyman because I'm working with a community and I can't bypass them. So that very day, I even went to the Assemblyman and played the audio to him. It was the Assemblyman and my security man who alerted the chief.

So the chief came and I told him all that happened. So they were even pleading and they told me that I should rest assured they will report the matter to the NHIS boss' family. I told them I can't live there anymore because my mind cannot be stable."

Miss Smith who explains that though the Sawla people lived with her like a family and didn't treat her bad, she has relocated from the community purposely for her sanity and safety.

"After the incident that day, I couldn't concentrate, so I had to refer the patients to Tona...The day I was packing, the community chief even came to the facility, begging me not to go. I told them no, if I'm even here, I don't think I can concentrate. I am no more there."

Meanwhile, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has ordered Mr Sakara to step aside over the allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

According to the Authority, Mahama Sakara is being investigated by the Police service and further actions will be taken as the facts of the case unfold.