Health Minister was scape goat; Presidency was aware of Boateng’s sack-Baako

The Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper is convinced President John Mills had long known about the imminent dismissal of the honorary director of Korle-Bu Cardiothoracic Centre, insisting, the Health Minister has only been used as a scape goat.

According to Kweku Baako Jnr., the dismissal of Prof Frimpong Boateng has little to do with his transfer to the University of Ghana Medical School as the Health Minister will have the world believe; very little to do with his retirement age as President John Mills will have the world believe but has everything to do with internal politics at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

The Health Minister, Yieleh Chireh had dismissed Prof Frimpong Boateng with “immediate effect” in a letter government spokespersons describe as wrongly worded and highly undiplomatic.

Surgeons at the Korle-Bu Cardio in solidarity with the sacked Prof called a partial strike in which they admitted no new cases for several days.

They petitioned the president who after a marathon meeting with leaders of the Cardio Centre directed that Prof Frimpong Boateng remained sacked as communicated in the Health Minister’s letter, but had one month to hand over instead of the “with immediate effect,” directive the Health Minister’s letter communicated.

President John Mills reminded Prof Frimpong Boateng that he has passed his retirement age of 60 and is now 62 and must, in line with the Public Service statutes, retire honorably.

He was unequivocal however in describing the Health Minister’s dismissal letter as wrongly worded.

The Minister came under a barrage of criticism not only from the members of the opposition New Patriotic Party but from within his own government.

But on Joy FM/MultiTV’s news analysis programme Newsfile on Saturday Kweku Baako Jnr said the Presidency cannot claim to be unaware of the Minister’s action.

According to him, Yieleh Chireh’s three paragraphed letter was copied to the Chief of Staff stating the reasons for dismissal and for which reason the Minister should not be held solely responsible for the blunder.

He described as most “unfair” President Mills’ explanation that Prof Frimpong Boateng was sacked because he had passed the retirement age.

Whilst insisting that Mills’ poorly crafted letter was a “virtual endorsement of the Minister’s action” Baako stated that the letter sought to create the impression that Prof Frimpong Boateng “was seeking to overstay” and “scheming to perpetrate himself in office.”

This he said was highly unfair to a Professor who had offered to resign ten years ago but was made to stay on by the same John Mills who was then the Vice President of Ghana.

Kweku Baako Jnr., stated emphatically that Prof Frimpong Boateng was sacked because he was resisting attempts by government to merge the Cardio Center with the entire administration of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

“I will like to place on record that the dismissal of Frimpong Boateng had nothing to do with his transfer to the Medical school; it had nothing to do with his retirement age; it has everything to do with the autonomy and independence of the Cardiothoracic Centre,” he alleged.

He said certain political figures had waded into the Korle-Bu politics and plotted to remove Prof Frimpong Boateng from office.

But a member of the National Democratic Congress, Felix Ofosu Kwakye who was a member of the panel, described Baako’s statements as pregnant with emotions and begging for evidence.

He said to impugn dishonorable motives to the dismissal of the honorary director without any evidence was most unfair.

Kwakye said the appointing authority at the Korlebu Teaching Hospital should be granted the latitude to make changes that will inure to the benefit of the hospital.

He conceded though that the Minister’s letter of dismissal was highly undiplomatic.

The deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa also described the dismissal of Prof Frimpong Boateng as “regrettable” and an “administrative lapse.”