Blows Over Korle-Bu Mortuary Fee

The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Gilbert Buckle and the Director of Administration of the Ministry of Health, J.Y.A Appiah, are in what looks like a tug of war over mortuary fees.

The two have in statements and counter-statements attacked the locus of each other over a request by the family of a deceased patient for a waiver on mortuary fees.

A letter signed by the CEO in reaction to an earlier letter by the director granting the waiver to the poor family questioned the capacity of Mr Appiah and went ahead to decline the request.

The CEO’s letter to the Minister of Health declining the waiver read: 'The hospital has received a letter on the above subject signed by 'one JYA Appiah' supposedly on your directive for a consideration of a waiver on the entire mortuary fee for the late Miss Sakyi on humanitarian grounds.

'We wish to confirm that this request is from you. May I also be frank in this discourse that with reference to the hospital's current financial situation, we can only offer 20%.'

However, another letter signed by the director described the CEO's response and posturing as arrogant and disrespectful.

'I take strong exception to your reference to me as 'one JYA Appiah' for the simple reason that I had dared to intercede on behalf of an impecunious lady who had lost her daughter in very painful circumstances and who had to leave the body at the mortuary against her own wishes on the directives of the police.

'…Boys are titled 'Master' and men are titled 'Mister' even if they do not possess a PhD degree. How dare you refer to me as 'one JYA Appiah;' who gave you permission? Arrogance has never served its masters well and will never do so. As the popular saying goes, there is always pride before a fall,' Dr Appiah fumed in his reaction.

He asked the Korle-Bu CEO to learn the trait of humility from the likes of Dr Dornu of the National AIDS Control Programme.

A Daily Guide report