United Brothers Association (UBA), a civil society group in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region staged a demonstration on Thursday 27th of July 2023 in collaboration with various groups in district demanding the removal of the Bongo District Hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Williams Gudu and one Baba Jamal, a storekeeper at same hospital.
The group, also joined by market women, hairdressers, weavers as well as members of the Bongo Unique Ladies and the United Ladies, alleged that the medical superintendent had been diverting some of the hospital’s consumables for personal gains.
Addressing the media on behalf of the group, the UBA’s president, Prosper A-ura disclosed that some medical items received by the hospital in 2022 could not be accounted for.
“We found out that hitherto, there was a team of about four (4) senior officers with the medical supt. and the storekeeper at the time inclusive, who took delivery of drugs supplied to the hospital from the regional medical stores to ensure that there was transparency and accountability. However, when the current storekeeper took over, he abandoned this arrangement and takes delivery of drugs all by himself, possibly to exploit the situation. We have information that on the 22nd November, 2022, forty (40) pieces of rabies vaccines were delivered to the hospital but only nine (9) were accounted for when confronted by other officers in the facility.
“A fifty (50) inches television that was donated to the hospital on the 15th June, 2022 was taken away by the storekeeper until an officer confronted him where he brought it back to the hospital.
We also have information that drugs and other items delivered to the hospital are not totally issued and we suspect some of these drugs find their way out of the hospital through illegal channels,” the group said.
The group also alleged that Dr Gudu had turned the facility into his family business centre by bringing his son to the hospital not only to work as a doctor but also possibly to take over the facility when he retires.
The group questioned the status and role of Dr Gudu’s son in the children’s ward and why his son has been left alone “to handle a sensitive area like the children’s ward”.
“The medical superintendent does not visit the wards except that of the maternity ward and has handed the other wards to his son and nurses to do the rounds. Grapevine sources indicate that there are some financial rewards he derives from the maternity ward, for instance, the performance of caesarian section (CS) on expectant mothers hence, his affinity to that ward. To the extent that when he is called to attend to emergency cases in the other wards, he doesn’t come except that of the maternity ward.
“Also, the hospital has a power plant (generator) but this plant is mostly not in use whenever power from the national grid goes off. Our checks indicate that there is mostly no fuel to power the plant and on the few occasions where there is fuel, he only powers it when he has a job to do in “his ward” (the maternity ward). This leaves the hospital premises very dark at night,” the group said in its statement.
When Word News contacted Dr Gudu on the telephone, he asked the reporter whether he was the one the group petitioned and why the reporter should be asking such questions.
“Are you the one the petition is given? So, why do have to come and be asking me this question? Please, I’m not prepared to speak to this. I’m very sorry, but I think that is not the right way, I don’t want to speak to the issue. It is better you allow the person they sent the petition to find out, not you talking about this on radio,” he responded.
The group also stated that the hospital had incurred a huge debt of Gh¢20,000 due to the actions of the medical superintendent and the storekeeper. While presenting the petition to the District Chief Executive of Bongo, the group also suggested the board members of the hospital should be revived or constituted to investigate the issues raised and remove the two officials to save the facility from collapse.
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya