NDC Breaks KATH Over 1m Votes

THE RULING National Democratic Congress' ( NDC’s) plan to garner at least one million votes in the Ashanti Region at all cost during the 2016 general elections to enable it remain in office is destroying the hitherto smooth administrative system at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.

The Mahama-led government’s purported political interference being unleashed on Ghana’s second leading teaching hospital over appointment to senior management positions is said to be grounding KATH's administrative flair and undermining staff morale.

Currently, there is reported tension among the top echelon of the hospital's administrative body over the appointment of an acting director of administration without recourse to the appropriate procedure.

DAILY GUIDE’s investigations have uncovered a clandestine attempt by the government to push a junior officer of the hospital identified as George Kofi Tetteh, who is a known NDC strongman, to replace Isaiah Offeh Gyimah, the Director of Administration, who acted recently as acting chief executive.

The government’s clandestine agenda was first communicated by the former Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani, who wrote a letter dated October 10, 2014 to remove Mr Offeh Gyimah and replace him with George Kofi Tetteh.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that a few weeks ago, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, NDC general secretary, dashed to Kumasi purportedly to strategise for the one million votes.

Even the appointment of the current CEO of the hospital, Dr Joseph Akpaloo, is laden with suspicion since he was not appointed by the Public Services Commission but rather by executive fiat from the presidency at a time public advertisement had been put out.

While in Kumasi, the NDC chief scribe was said to have met with the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Kojo Bonsu, and some heads of department at KATH during which issues of resources were allegedly discussed for political gains towards achieving the one million votes target.

Sources close to the hospital hinted that at the meeting, the KATH CEO, Dr Joseph Akpaloo, reportedly suggested that the only way to support the party’s plan was to replace some sensitive position holders in the hospital, particularly the director of administration, who is in-charge of resources and the director of finance.

Shortly after the meeting, President John Dramani Mahama was reportedly briefed about the idea during his recent visit to Kumasi, after which the Health Minister, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, was asked to write to George Kofi Tetteh to assume his duty as the acting director of administration.

The appointment letter, dated April 13, 2015 and signed by the health minister, indicated that Isaiah Offeh Gyimah, who the minister described as ailing, should report to the ministry for reposting.

The minister, however, did not disclose the exact place where Mr Offeh Gyimah, who acted as the CEO of the hospital prior to the appointment of Dr Akpaloo, would be working.

Meanwhile, DAILY GUIDE has learnt that Dr Akpaloo, with the support of the KATH Board chairman, had issued an internal memo, enforcing the decision of the minister without approval by the entire Board.

It is feared that should this illegal appointment go through, other senior management positions including finance, medical affairs and pharmacy, would be the next targets.

But the KATH staff have resolved to make the place ungovernable, should George Kofi Tetteh’s appointment succeed.

The government’s actions are said to contravene the tenets of the governing Board of the hospital, the Public Service Commission and Act 525 which set up the teaching hospitals.

Observers are concerned that the illegal removal of Offeh Gyimah from office could land the hospital in another judgment debt.

It would be recalled that the wrongful dismissal of Dr Anthony Nsiah Asare, a former CEO of KATH by his predecessor, Prof Ohene Adjei, led to a judgement debt of GH¢750,000 in favour of the hospital.

Currently, KATH is said to be in a critical financial distress, making it difficult to pay its creditors and meet other financial commitments.

FROM James Quansah, Kumasi