KOSSA allegations are baseless - Korle-Bu Board

The Board and Directors of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has debunked recent allegations leveled against Dr Gilbert Buckle, Chief Executive Officer, (CEO) over mismanagement, describing it as baseless.

Members of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) recently passed a vote of no confidence in Dr Buckle.

However, Board Chairman of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Professor Anthony Mawuli Sallar declared the board’s confidence in the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital.

At a press conference in Accra to react to the allegations leveled against the board and CEO, Professor Anthony Sallah, the Board Chairman of the Hospital, said the allegations made by the Korle Bu Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) that they incurred a judgment debt of GH¢100 million and allegation on the funds was baseless and should be disregarded

He said no judgment debt has accrued to the hospital since they assumed office in September 2014.

"A judgment debt of GH¢ 875, 809.53 had been incurred by the Hospital from August 2011 to June 2014, he said.

He said no personal travel of the CEO has been funded by the Hospital since his assumption of office and explained that the CEO embarked on four approved official travels.

Prof Sallar said Board permission was secured and the Minister of Health was informed as required before those travels were undertaken by the CEO.

He said the Executives of KOSSA were requested, in line with due process, to formally present their concerns and allegations to the board but they declined on two different occasions to meet the Board and the present its concerns with the necessary supporting evidence.

Reacting to issues on financial mismanagement and siphoning of hospital funds, he said the hospital has not been recovering costs and that, in 2014, when they assumed office, the CEO with the Board’s approval, requested for and secured Parliamentary approval to increase the hospital's fees and charges by an average of approximately 150 per cent for the year 2015 and this was introduced in June 2015.

These fiscal measures, he said, which included the streamlining of revenue collection has led to the realization of GH¢1.1 million.

Mr Saller expressed displeasure with the decision of the aggrieved parties to go to the press with their issues when the board had indicated they were willing to meet and discuss their grievances.

On neglect of staff welfare, Mr Saller said the board had put in place measures to provide staff with welfare benefits, conditions of service, part of health benefits, and a provident fund for the workers.

On claims of shortage of inputs and consumables, he said, the staff sometimes failed to routinely point out dwindling resources to management.

“If there is a shortage, let us know. If the people on the ground, the workers themselves on the ground know there is shortage coming and they have not reported to the superiors, how are the superiors going to know there is a shortage.”

Dr Gilbert Buckle, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), however, assured Government, the public and clients of the hospital that they would continue to deliver quality health care services to its clients.