Five staff of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) face summary dismissal if investigations confirm their alleged involvement in pilfering items belonging to the premier health facility.

The five who are currently under investigations on the instructions from the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) , Dr. David .Z. Kolbilla were reported to have engaged in various shady deals.

Dr. David .Z. Kolbilla who confirmed the incident to mynewsgh.com, refused to mention names but indicated that he has constituted a body to look into the matter while internal disciplinary sanctions have been applied against others.

“In order to instill discipline at the facility, I ordered an internal disciplinary proceeding on a number of personnel while some investigations on other cases are still ongoing”

Meanwhile, authorities have warned all staff to, henceforth, desist from any form of extortion of monies from patients without the issuance of official receipts indicating that such acts will go with the corresponding sanctions.

In a release issued and signed by the CEO, it stated that management has received several complaints from the public, including petitions from youth groups and traditional authorities on the issue of the rampant illegal extortion of monies from patients by some individual staff from some departments of the hospital

Read full text of release below;

UPDATE OF THE TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL: BY DR. DAVID Z. KOBILLA, AG. CEO.TTH

Management of the Tamale Teaching Hospital is happy to announce that just within four months in office and for the first time in the history of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, the acting CEO ,has been able to retain a positive balance after paying its debts.

Every effort is being made to detect and plug the loopholes in revenue collection that exist in the facility and avoid unnecessary expenditure so as to make tremendous gains in the revenue base in the coming years. To this end, all activities both clinical and financial will be rooted through the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System, {GIMFMIS } and HAMS systems.

The Acting CEO of the Tamale Teaching Hospital Dr. David .Z. Kolbilla has signed a contract with Medtronic Company to provide the facility with surgical equipments for neurosurgery, trauma and orthopedic surgery and a constant flow of implants and other medical consumables to ensure all surgeries are effectively carried out within TTH. Lack of implants in the past led to the referral of trauma cases out of the hospital.

In the past frequent shortages in reagents for laboratory tests and shortages in basic medications led to patients very often accessing the services and medication outside the hospital. Timely scheduled payment of suppliers instituted by the CEO has curtailed this menace.

In order to install discipline at the facility, the CEO has ordered an internal disciplinary proceeding on a number of personnel while some investigations on other cases are still ongoing.

Doctors at the hospital are on post 24/7 and there are frequent unannounced visits to departments including Consulting rooms and other sectors of the hospitalon regular basis by the Acting CEO, Doctor Z. kolbilla. Recent positive changes have psyched up the personnel and apathy is giving way to a vibrant working force.

Management of the hospital has received several complaints from the public, including petitions from youth groups and traditional authorities on the issue of the rampant illegal extortion of monies from patients by some individual staff from some departments of the hospital.

As part of measures to address the above concerns, Management has taken a serious look at this issue and has therefore sent out stern warning to all staff to, henceforth, desist from any form of extortion of monies from patients without the issuance of official receipts.

All payments in the hospital must be made only at the HFC payment points and all such payments must be issued with printed receipts.

No department therefore should attempt to print and issue fake TTH receipts, as had been the practice in some departments in the recent past.

The sale of items to patients without receipts at the hospital is prohibited.In the recent past, shortages in some medical consumables led to some staffs selling these items to patients within the facility. These items are now available within.

Members of Staff, who engage in any form of extortion, including the sale of items to patients without official receipts, will be dealt with severely. Mystery patients and surveillance teams, from both the hospital and the community, will monitor and report perpetrators.

The general public will be sensitized to report staffs who engage in illegal extortions. There are also youth groups in the community who have vowed to represent victims of extortion and report all such cases and pursue them to their logical conclusion to ensure justice for victims.

It is therefore in the interest of staff to pay heed and stop this obnoxious practice that is dragging the name of the hospital into the mud.

New developments at the hospital include the Laboratory and operating Theatre at the accident and emergency department now operating 24hours unlike before.

Management has also secured Two underground pipe lines including a dedicated line, and Three unconnected boreholes in TTH are being connected to enhance water supply to the facility.As stated before, areas like the Oxygen Plants and the CSSD are also being addressed.

Thank you

Dr. David Z. Kolbilla

……Signed……………….

(Ag. Chief Executive Officer)