The management of UniBank Ghana Limited is yet to grasp the extent to which Korle Bu Teaching Hospital made losses due to it’s End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software contract with the health facility.
The back and forth between the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and UniBank over the End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software continues, with the hospital’s Public Relations Officer Mustapha Salifu saying the bank is yet to understand the situation on the ground.
[contextly_sidebar id=”bqaylorisfHMiuMP5XAFSR7wOIwvdWeR”]”If UniBank actually stated that we lied about revenue losses in the hospital, then it means they actually have not appreciated the complexities of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, and the reason for which we are asking for a system that will enable us to automate the service so that we will reduce human interference,” he said in a Citi News interview.
These complexities initially compelled Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to abrogate a contract it had with UniBank to provide some onsite banking services because of some compatibility issues with the Revenue Collection Software.
But the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital’s management ended up rescinding the termination of the contract which it said has compromised the hospital’s revenue collection.
UniBank disputed the hospital’s account and dismissed the allegations of revenue losses persisting under its management of on-site banking services.
The Hospital said UniBank skipped a meeting to submit proposals for the End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software in 2015, but the bank responded by saying it was rather sidelined in the bidding process for the contract.
Workers stealing money
As the dispute continues, Mr. Salifu maintains that, the current system being employed by UniBank allowed for persons “to under-bill; so that the patients can go and pay less and the hospital will lose. But then, the bill assessor will then have the opportunity of keeping some of the money in his or her pocket.”
UniBank has dared the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to back claims that it did not turn up for the bidding process.
Mr. Salifu is sure that the hospital is in the position to substantiate its claims against the bank.
“I have been informed on authority that invitations were extended to them to do presentations to the End-to-End Hospital Revenue Collection Software, at the appropriate time, we will be provided evidence to that effect… we are waiting for the finance directorate to pull out the evidence so that we can put them in the public domain,” he explained.
In the meantime, Mr. Salifu reminded that the hospital still reports to the Ministry of Health so “whatever advice is given from the ministry, the hospital will comply, which is exactly why the hospital has rescinded the decision to abrogate the contract with UniBank.”
The A-Plus factor
The issue came to the limelight following some corruption allegations musician A-Plus, against two presidential staffers, Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor.
A-Plus’ allegations had to do with a petition by UniBank to the effect that the management of Korle-Bu had abrogated the existing Memorandum of Understanding with them without any reason, thus treating them unfairly.
A-Plus held that the two presidential staffers played a role in the matter, but his allegations were later described as “baseless” an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department.
–
By: Felecia Osei/Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana