Civil society group, Universal Access to Health Care Campaign has indicted management of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in fraudulent procurement deals that go on at the premier teaching hospital in the country.

According to the civil society group, management of the hospital could not exonerate itself from lapses as more rot is uncovered at the Hospital through fraudulent procurement deals.

Joy News investigations have uncovered theft of consumables and other items at the storage and store facilities of the hospital, through dubious procurement deals.

National Coordinator of the civil society group, Sidua Hor, told Joy News that the fraudulent activities at the hospital expose the failure in the management system.

"They cannot exonerate themselves because it means they have failed to perform their oversight responsibilities", Sidua Hor emphasized.

According to him, the lack of knowledge of these fraudulent activities at the institution on the part of management until the JOY FM exposé baffles his mind since their responsibilities was to ensure that no lapses are encountered.

He further observed that there was need for a serious clean-up at Korle-Bu and the health sector in general.

Thomas Dwomoh, acting Head of Supplies at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is worried about the lack of attention for that department.

He noted that about 70 percent of the hospital’s revenue goes into consumables, which are kept in the stores. But inadequate staffing and lack of logistics, he says, affect the security of the stores.

Recently a woman, said to be stealing consumables from the hospital’s stores every Tuesday, was arrested. Captain Duodu, a security coordinator of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital confirmed the incidence.

Theft in the hospital’s stores is a source of concern to many, including the Board Chairman, Eddie Annan.

Stealing of consumables is not the only means by which resources of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital are depleted. JOY NEWS investigation uncovered corrupt deals in the procurement process.

Documents Joy News intercepted in the course of this investigation reveal how some officials of the hospital connive with suppliers to inflate prices of items delivered to the hospital.

In one instance, an official of the hospital teamed up with a supplier to supply electrodes to the hospital at 4 Ghana cedis a piece. The actual price of the item was 50 pesewas per piece.

The head of procurement of the hospital, Felicity Commey, has confirmed that such transactions were common in Korle-Bu.

Board Chairman, Eddie Annan, had indicated that he had stopped some of such fraudulent procurements.

Joy News investigation also revealed what appears to be a culture of impunity in these deals.

But the Hospital’s head of procurement, Felicity Commey seems not to know the hidden canker until it becomes public as she noted that the responsibility lies with the management of the institution to halt the fraudulent activities.  

Although cleaning the rot at the hospital appears to be a daunting task, Board Chairman Eddie Annan, indicated that the board is determined to rid the hospital of the corruption that has affected the smooth running of the nation’s premier health facility.

"I will not sit down for someone to die. If you are working in Korle-Bu, do what Korle-Bu wants you to do", he stressed, adding that perpetrators of the act will face the full rigours of the laws.