The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), James Klutse Avedzi, has issued a three-month ultimatum to the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to recover all illegal payments made to employees who have vacated their posts but continue to receive salaries.

This directive was made during a Public Accounts sitting at Parliament House.

The 2023 Auditor-General’s report revealed issues of unearned salaries and unsupported payment vouchers for many employees, the majority being nurses.

The report indicated that, many nurses applied for study leave or annual leave, travelled abroad, and never returned, while others pursued different careers after their studies.

Furthermore, the report uncovered that uncollected rent charges for staff and unserved bond periods were disregarded, yet validated by the administrators of the Ghana Health Service. The Auditor-General recommended the recovery of these monies.

Based on this background, the Committee directed that all monies be recovered within three months and paid into the Auditor-General Recovery Accounts at the Bank of Ghana.

The Committee also instructed the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, to be aware of the actions of his staff, who often request study or annual leave and fail to return to work. The Director General stated that arrangements are being made to collect the indebtedness from defaulters.

Some of the health institutions that appeared before the Committee included Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Pantang Hospital, LEKMA Hospital, Achimota Hospital, and Mamprobi Hospital. Others included the National Blood Service, Regional Medical Stores, Accra, National Cardiothoracic Centre, National Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, and the National Centre for Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine.

In attendance were the Deputy Minister of Health, Hon. Adelaide Ntim (MP), the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, and heads of health institutions.

Sompaonline.com/Nana Yaw Boamah