The Board Chairman of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Anthony Mawuli Saller, has declared the board’s confidence in the embattled Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr. Gilbert Buckle.
About ninety percent of the members of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) passed a vote of no confidence in Dr. Buckle.
The Board after accusing him of mismanaging the hospital’s internally generated funds and paying needless judgment debts while neglecting the welfare of staff of the hospital, called for his resignation.
Members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association of Korle-Bu, also joined calls for his resignation.
Dr Buckle assumed office barely a year ago after similar accusations led to the resignation of his predecessor, Rev. Okpoti Botwe.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Saller rubbished the allegations against the hospital’s CEO and instead lauded his work.
“…We have confidence in the Chief Executive, he is doing a wonderful job and since he has been there, we’ve done a lot,” he said.
Mr Saller also 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.
The agitating staff, according to him, declined an invitation to meet with the Board.
[contextly_sidebar id=”scFwFowdx5hXnQbVLlX1mN2N2TiKT2xy”]“We invited KOSSA to an emergency board meeting and we wanted them to come and formally present their grievances to the board, they declined.”
“When you have issues and your employer invites you to come and let’s discuss it and you still continue running to the press and issuing statements… how are the issues going to be addressed?”
He further added, “In any organisation, some people may have issues but then, whatever issues you have it is better to sit down and discuss it rather than just go to the press. You only go to the press when you have exhausted all the internal mechanisms which they have not done.
On the topic of staff grievances, particularly the point about neglecting their welfare, Mr. Saller indicated the board had put in place measures to provide staff with welfare benefits.
“We instituted conditions of service, part of health benefits package and Mr Palm, the KOSSA president, is a member is of that board… so how can he go on air and start making comments that there is no benefits or works and staff.”
“We have also instituted a provident fund for the works to benefit from,” he added.
He further addressed claims of shortage of inputs and consumables, saying the staff sometimes fail to routinely point out dwindling resources to management to address
“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.”
Mr Saller also revealed that the management will issue a press statement addressing what he describes as “unsubstantiated” allegations.
“These allegations are unsubstantiated and when we issue the press statement tomorrow, we are taking them one by one and debunk it all.”
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifonline.com/Ghana