The Association of Bolgatanga Nabdam, Bongo and Tongo has demanded for an immediate return of some five vehicles belonging to the Upper East regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service which were taken out of the region.
A public announcement made by the Upper East Regional Director of Health, Dr. Kofi Issah, to the effect that five vehicles had gone missing at the regional health directorate has generated some heated controversy with a call on the Director General Dr. Appiah Denkyira to ensure that those vehicles are returned immediately.
In a statement released Tuesday and signed by the President of BONABOTO Vitus Azeem, the group accused the Ghana Health Service and its Director General of further worsening the plight of a deprived region by moving the vehicles out of the region asking “Is it rational to move vehicles from a deprived region that is grappling with high maternal mortality, inadequate doctors, insufficient supply of medical, operational and administrative logistics (including vehicles) to other regions?”
Though Dr. Appiah Denkyira had indicated on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East show that three of the said vehicles were moved to the Northern and Volta regions on the expiration of the Ghana Essential Health Intervention Project (GEHIP) in the region, BONABOTO rejected those claims adding “We find it extremely strange and defying ordinary logic that the Director General of GHS will order as he claims, the movement of both the VW passat saloon car and the V8 to Accra for Dr. J K Awonor’s official use in Accra when the 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 and Bawku West districts) have no vehicles for effective and efficient health delivery.”
The group therefore has given Government, the Ghana Health Service and the Director General Dr. Appiah Denkyira two weeks grace period to ensure the vehicles are returned or face series of coordinated actions.
Find below the full statement
PRESS STATEMENT BY BONABOTO ON THE MISSING GHANA HEALTH SERVICE REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS VEHICLES. 27/09/16
BONABOTO wish to register our strongest protest and displeasure at the way and manner the authorities of the Ghana Health Service are handling this 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 Health Directorate and call on the Director General of Ghana Health Service and the Government to as a matter of urgency and in the interest of civil peace, ensure the immediate return of the vehicles to the region with no further delays.
BONABOTO’s attention was drawn to this issue somewhere in April this year and as normal of our procedure, we sought to establish the veracity or otherwise of the information from the Regional Director who confirmed it. At the time, Regional Director (Dr. Kofi Issah) explained that he had initiated the administrative complain procedure to establish the where about of the said 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 long time, BONABOTO in late May this year made an official complaint to the BNI to help investigate and possibly ensure the return of the said “lost” five vehicles. As we were waiting for the outcome of these processes, the Regional Director in his yearly review meeting reiterate his frustrations on this issue, and instead of the Director General to take steps to ensure the return of the vehicles, he is behaving in a manner to suggest a cover up for the “missing” vehicles.
We find it extremely strange and defying ordinary logic that the Director General of GHS will order as he claims, the movement of both the VW passat saloon car and the V8 to Accra for Dr. J K Awonor’s official use in Accra when the 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 and Bawku West districts) have no vehicles for effective and efficient health delivery.
Has the Director General thought of answers to the following questions?
How did the Vehicle leave the region without proper documentation?
What are the approve public service guidelines on assets management?
Is it rational to move vehicles from a deprived 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 vehicles?
How do the KOICA project and its vehicle support adequately answer the illegal movement of vehicles including those from the GEHIP project from the region?
From where we stand, we can reasonably establish that the Director General of Ghana Health Service and his cronies are trying to cripple the already wobbling health delivery system in the region by trying fruitlessly to cover up for these illegally moved vehicles.
We call on the Government and the Director General to ensure that all the five vehicles return within two weeks or we will appropriately advice ourselves.
No one should blame us when our coordinated actions come rolling.
Thank You.
Mr. Vitus Azeem
(National President-0244233512/0577665300)
Hon. Francis Atintono
(Regional Chairman-0203457903)
Stanley Akamiri Abopaam
(Regional PRO-0208520770)
By: Azongo Albert | A1RADIOONLINE.com | GHANA
