Korle-bu hospital staff accuse management of spending on themselves GH¢300,000 meant for patients
The Korle-bu Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) are accusing the senior management of the teaching hospital of spending on themselves some GH¢300,000 meant for the care of patients.
The staff picketed today, January 26, 2017 in front of their offices within the hospital premises in Accra.
However, Dr Gilbert Buckle, the CEO of the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital had earlier denied allegations that the hospital paid GH¢100,000 to management and staff as Christmas bonus in media reports.
The reports further cited him as saying that the hospital “doesn’t pay bonuses and has never paid bonuses”
In an interview with ghanabusinessnews.com, Mr Oblitey Clifford James, General Secretary of the association said the management has unlawfully shared the money among themselves as allowances to the detriment of the nurses who receive meager salaries.
“For the past two years management pay us GH¢100 as Christmas bonuses and when we protest they tell us that there are no funds so we had no option than to accept it”
“It however, emerged in the second week of December 2016 that management paid themselves some huge amounts of monies which is very worrying”
He noted that the initial amount circulated in the media as being funds allegedly shared among management was GH¢100.000 but upon further investigations into the matter it turned to be over GH¢300.000.
“They term such huge amounts as allowances but we see it as bonuses that they decided to pay themselves because they failed to seek approval of the board,” he explained.
He further noted that “The Director of Finance is supposed to be the chief financial advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and the management so that any decision that bothers on finances will be discussed in a way that any decision arrived would be within the confines of the law.”
He adds that the funds that were allegedly looted were meant for patients’ care.
Mr Clifford pointed out that the CEO upon assumption of office cancelled all allowances. Also, allowance rationalization has not been completed and that there is no approved document mandating allowance payment to management.
A nurse who did not want to be named said those who work in the clinical areas of the hospital were supposed to receive these allowances and not management.
“Those who work so hard in clinical areas are supposed to receive these allowances but not management who only give directives and go for management meetings,” she said.
“It is unfair that those of us who do all the work have to fight so much for small allowances while management take a chunk of the money,” she added.
She further advised government to appoint management of the hospital within the staff and not people from outside who have little information on the operations of the hospital and no idea about the needs of staff.
By Pamela Ofori-Boateng
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