Management of the Pantang Hospital is passionately appealing to the government to release funds to them to prevent an impending court action against the facility.
This is because one of the suppliers to the hospital who is owed huge amounts, is threatening to sue the hospital, an action which management says will affect their operations.
[contextly_sidebar id=”LvRrBHTd7Mcp1wiAVFe6snM7Gd9nyiO9″]Currently, Pantang hospital owes its suppliers to the tune of three hundred and fifty million Ghana cedis, which has been accruing since 2013.
The Acting Head of Pantang Hospital, Dr. Frank Baning, told Citi News the Hospital has been forced to buy on credit due to lack of funds.
“Last year [2016], we did not receive any medicine. When you do not get, you buy it off in the market and then you pass it on to the people. Just like how government buys everything…I think at the moment we are owing something in the range of about 3.5 million cedis for food and services.
“The people are not happy. I know one is threatening to take us to court. I think they have been meeting people as well, they have been engaging, but if you do not have the money what will you do?”
Pantang Hospital is not the only mental health facility struggling to operate.
The Accra Psychiatric Hospital is experiencing similar challenges. The Chief Executive Mental Officer of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei, had said that the limited inflow of disbursements from stakeholders, is hindering the facility from rendering services effectively.
The Hospital almost shut down some months ago due to a four million Ghana cedi debt owed its suppliers.
The previous government only paid five hundred thousand cedis, and provided some supplies to the facility at the time, but this could not mitigate the challenge.
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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana