The Association of Bolgatanga, Bongo, Nabdam and Talensi (BONABOTO), have given the Director General of Ghana Health Service a two-week ultimatum to retrieve the five vehicles that went missing at the Upper East Regional Health Directorate.
The Upper East Regional director of health services, Dr. Kofi Issah, had bemoaned circumstances leading to an disappearance five vehicles when he took over from his predecessor Dr. Kuko Awoonor Williams, and had reported the matter to the Director General of Ghana Health Services, Dr. Ebernizer Denyira-Appiah and the Upper East Regional Minister, Albert Abongo for necessary action.
But in a press statement, the Upper East Regional branch of BONABOTO, accused the Director General of Ghana health services of condoning with Dr. Awoonor and providing lame excuses that the vehicles were re-assigned.
They have given the director general of the Ghana health services two weeks to ensure the return of the five vehicles or incur their wrath.
Below is full Press Statement:
PRESS STATEMENT BY BONABOTO ON THE MISSING GHANA HEALTH SERVICE REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS VEHICLES.
BONABOTO wishes to register its strongest protest and displeasure at the way and manner the authorities of the Ghana Health Service are handling the issue of the five missing vehicles (One Pajero, one VW Passat Saloon Car, One Toyota Land Cruiser and two Pickups) from the Upper East Regional Directorate of the Service. BONABOTO’s information is that the erstwhile Regional Director, Dr. Kouko Awoonor, when he reluctantly left on transfer, took with him five office vehicles belonging to the Upper East Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service.
While BONABOTO appreciates the contribution of Dr. Awoonor to improved health care delivery in the Region during his tenure, we are not only surprised but shocked at this last attempt to dent his own image by this action. BONABOTO, therefore, calls on the Director General, in particular, and the Government, in general, to as a matter of urgency and in the interest of justice and fairness to the people of the Upper East Region, ensure the immediate return of the vehicles to the region.
BONABOTO’s attention was drawn to this issue somewhere in April this year and as normal of our procedure, the Association sought to confirm the veracity or otherwise of the information from the Regional Directorate which confirmed it. At the time, the current Regional Director explained that he had initiated the administrative complaints procedure to establish the whereabouts of the missing vehicles and edged BONABOTO to exercise restraint while he followed due process on the issue.
Having felt that the due process was taking a rather long time, BONABOTO in May, this year, made an official complaint to the BNI to help investigate and possibly ensure the return of the said “lost” five vehicles to the Region. As at today, we have not heard anything from the BNI. Furthermore, the Regional Director, in his yearly review meeting, reiterated his frustrations in trying to retrieve the vehicles.
We are saddened by the fact that, the Director General, instead of taking steps to ensure the return of the vehicles, appears to be rather condoning with the erstwhile Regional Director and helping to deprive the Upper East Regional Directorate of the vehicles by providing the lame excuse that the vehicles have been re-assigned to two other regions while retaining some in Accra for Dr. Awoonor’s use. We wish to emphasize that there is no documentation or justification for this so-called reassignment.
We find it extremely strange and defying ordinary logic that the Director General of GHS, will order as he claims, the movement of two of the vehicles to Accra for Dr. Awoonor’s official use when the incumbent Regional Director has no vehicle for his official duties in the region. Again, we cannot logically reconcile how the two pickups and the Pajaro were sent to the Northern and Volta regions when three districts in the Upper East Region (Bulsa North, Bulsa South Garu and Bawku West districts) have no vehicle for effective and efficient health delivery.
BONABOTO demands answers for the following questions:
- Has the Director General, all of a sudden, found that the Upper East Region does not need the vehicles when it needed while Dr. Awoonor was the Regional Director?
- What has happened to the vehicles that were being used by Dr. Awoonor’s predecessor in Accra, requiring he takes those from the Upper East Region?
- How did the vehicles leave the region without proper documentation?
- Has the Director General suddenly ignored the approved public service guidelines on assets management?
- Is it rational to move vehicles from a region that is grappling with high maternal mortality, inadequate doctors, insufficient supply of medical, operational and administrative logistics including vehicles to other regions?
- How does the director General expect the Regional Health directorate to ensure efficient and effective health delivery without these vehicles?
- How do the KOICA project and its vehicle support adequately answer the illegal movement of the vehicles including those from the GEHIP project from the region?
BONABOTO is concerned that the Director General of Ghana Health Service, in particular, and the Service in general, are trying to cripple the already wobbling health delivery system in the Upper East Region by trying fruitlessly to cover up for this illegality.
We call on the Government and the Director General to ensure that all the five vehicles return to the Region within two weeks, otherwise we will advise ourselves.
Mr. Francis Atintono, Regional Chairman UE
Mr. Stanley Akamiri Abopaam, UE Regional PRO
Mr. Vitus Azeem, National President
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By: Frederick Awuni/Citifmonline.com/Ghana