DCE challenges GHS to correct negative impression of New Tafo Hospital

Kyebi (E/R), Feb. 16, GNA - The East Akim District Chief Executive, Mr Emmanuel Victor Asihene, had challenged the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to take measures to correct the negative impression of financial mismanagement presently associated with the New Tafo Government Hospital.

He said information available to the District Assembly indicated that the people of New Tafo believed that a lot of financial mismanagement was going on at the hospital and there was the need for urgent action to be taken to put things right.

Mr Asihene threw the challenge at the opening of the 2005 Performance Review meeting of the East Akim District Health Directorate at Kyebi on Wednesday.

He recalled that at the 2004 Ohum Festival of the chiefs and people of Akim Tafo, the hospital launched an appeal for funds for the completion of the Children's Block of New Tafo Government Hospital. Mr Asihene said up till the time of the review meeting, no proper accounts of the funds raised for the project had been rendered by the New Tafo Government Hospital Health Management Committee. He said upon a request by the Assembly, the Management Committee provided two separate accounts on the fund raising, one indicating that 108.9 million cedis was raised and 88 million cedis was spent leaving a balance of 20.9 million cedis.

Mr Asihene said another income and expenditure accounts presented to the Assembly indicated that 86.9 million cedis was realized and 78.2 million cedis was spent, leaving a balance of 8.8 million cedis. He said there were also indications that some of the donations made at the function had not been acknowledged.

"I do not understand why people could hide under the banner of the hospital to raise funds to spend it. We have to look for the money," Mr Asihene emphasised.

Mr Asihene said the East Akim District Assembly had awarded the contract for the completion of the Children's Ward at the cost of 400 million cedis, saying, within some few weeks, the contractor would be moving to the site to start the project.

He said he had visited the newly-constructed offices of the District Directorate of Health Services and expressed his disgust at the poor work done and called on the contractors, who worked on the project to go back to correct the faults on the project.

The DCE called on the Management of the Health Insurance Scheme in the district to adopt more pragmatic approach in the collection of the premiums to enable many people to register with the scheme.

Later in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the East Akim District Director of Health Service, Mrs Eunice Abuaku, said the new directorate building leaks badly, when it rained.

She said at the time of handing over the building in May last year, a cheque of five million cedis issued by the contractors, who constructed the building, Messrs M. S, ACRE to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for the settlement of the electricity consumed during the construction of the building was not honoured.

Mrs Abuaku said the ECG came back to cut off power at the office and the Directorate had to settled the five million cedis bill. She said the contractors had not also completed the graveling of the compound of the office and an ultimatum given to them by the consultants on the project, AESL for Messrs M.S. ACRE to pay back the five million cedis to the office and rectify all the problems associated with the project by December last year had not been done.