The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Yakubu Seidu Adam, to reimburse an amount of GH¢113,000 to the state.
The directive comes after the hospital failed to retrieve the money from officers whose negligence resulted in the settlement of two different judgment debts.
In one instance, a patient died from a medication overdose, and in the other, a body was exhumed and reburied following a mix-up of mortal remains.
During the session with the PAC, on Monday, September 29, the Ranking Member Samuel Atta-Mills referenced the Audit report which stated, “We recommended that the Acting Chief Executive Officer should recover the total amount of GHC113,000 from the officers whose negligence occasioned the payment of judgement debt and the same paid into the Auditor General’s Recoveries Account at Bank of Ghana, failing which the Acting Chief Executive Officer should pay. Have you done that?”
In response, Dr Adam admitted the hospital has not yet retrieved the funds: “Hon. Chair [Abena Osei-Asare], we haven’t done that,” he said while attempting to explain why the money has not been recovered.
The Ranking Member, Abena Osei Asare, however, interrupted sharply to demand accountability and issue a clear directive: “Our Chief Executive Officer, we give you 90 days to pay this GHC113,000.”
The directive from the PAC demonstrates the committee’s dedication to ensuring financial transparency in state institutions and to swiftly address any shortcomings that led to needless compensation payments.
