Walewale Health Director transferred over NHIS debt

The District Health Director of Walewale, Dr Abdulai Abukari, has been transferred under strange circumstances to the Tatale District Hospital in the Northern Region.

Information gathered indicates that after DAILY GUIDE reported that the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) owes the hospital 10 months arrears, the health director was summoned to the regional administration for questioning as to why he made those statements in public.

The Walewale District Hospital which provides services under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to some thousands of residents has for the past 10 months not been paid for its services by the NHIA.

The district hospital last reimbursement was in July 2016 for claims for November 2015, thereby, affecting activities of the hospital.

A source at the facility told DAILY GUIDE that the hospital's debt has accumulated to GH¢2million.

He indicated that the hospital sometimes has to credit drugs and other materials from different institutions and because they do not pay on time, they are chased by their creditors.

The situation has caused some confusion within the district among party youth groups who are accusing the Northern Regional Minister, Abdallah Abukari, of masterminding the transfer of the director because the facility accepted an ambulance which was donated to the hospital by the incumbent MP for the area, Dr Sagre Bambangi.

Dr Sagre Bambangi donated a brand new ambulance valued at GH¢90,000 to the district hospital.

Some youth in the Walewale District are planning to embark on a demonstration to register their displeasure about the transfer of the health director who has played a major role in the development of the hospital in the district.

Dr Abdulai Abukari who confirmed the transfer to DAILY GUIDE stated that he had been served a transfer letter and currently, he has reported to his new post at the Tatale District Hospital.

According to him, he is a professional and no matter wherever he finds himself, he would still work as a professional and that the transfer is no issue for him.

The Northern Regional Minister who doubles as the NDC parliamentary candidate, Abdallah Abubakari, denied masterminding the transfer of Dr Abdulai Abukari when DAILY GUIDE contacted him.

“If they are saying I caused the doctor's transfer how come they are the same people asking the chief to plead with me to intervene on behalf of the doctor”? he asked

According to him, the transfer of doctors and directors is done routinely in the Ghana Health Services (GHS) and that he does not have the power to determine the transfer of any person within the sector.

He indicated that because he happens to be the candidate for the NDC in Walewale, the NPP and their activists will always want to use any little opportunity to discredit him.

Mr Abubakari stated that the MP has not done anything good for his people for the past four years and because he has been able to donate an ambulance, they are looking for a name that would fly their message across the world.

Interestingly, the minister is said to have dragged at least five persons, including an NPP executive in the constituency, to the chief of Wungu for making “untrue statements” on Facebook against the regional minister.

The individuals, including Shamsudeen Iddrisu, the NPP youth secretary for the Walewale Constituency, are currently under investigations over claims that the minister instigated the transfer of the health director.

Dr Abdulai Abukari was transferred from Walewale to faraway Tatale District a week after he addressed journalists while receiving an ambulance from the NPP MP.

Reports indicated that the Northern Regional Health Directorate transferred Dr Abdulai Abukari because he “played politics” during the donation ceremony.

However, Mr Iddrisu and the others went on to the social media platform to slam the NDC parliamentary candidate and blamed him for being behind the move.