Tension is brewing at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) following the alleged removal of the Deputy Director, Supply Chain Management Unit, Mr Paul Senyo Gawu, from office by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Dr Prosper Akanbong.
The position has now been assigned to Mr Mahama Saaka, an Assistant Chief Supply Officer, who is said to have been transferred to the hospital recently pending his retirement next year.
Investigations by the Daily Graphic at the hospital indicated that the alleged action of the CEO to remove Mr Gawu from office was affecting morale among staff at the health facility.
Denial
When contacted, Dr Akanbong denied the claim and indicated that he was rather behind the decision to appoint Mr Gawu in the first place. He asked those accusing him of being behind the removal of the deputy director to produce evidence.
Evidence
However, the Daily Graphic had sighted a letter dated March 24, 2015, addressed to Mr Gawu and signed by the CEO with copies to the Director of Administration and Deputy Director, Human Resource titled “Posting of Mr Mahama Saaka (Assistant Chief Supply Officer) as head of procurement.”
Disagreement
A memo from the director of administration to the CEO on the subject stated that the directives issued by the CEO on the matter would end up undermining the principles of good governance in the public (civil) service.
“I am, therefore, calling for an immediate cessation of all the manoeuvres that have gone on so far, and that the matter be referred to the management committee for an objective resolution of the potentially disruptive situation”, the memo said.
It further stated that the smooth running of any organisation would not be achieved if the established structures of responsibility were not deliberately and keenly followed and obeyed.
Health administrators react
Meanwhile, the Northern Regional caucus of the Association of Health Services Administrators, Ghana (AHSAG) has also expressed concern over the removal of Mr Gawu from office.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Mr Jeremiah M. Tiimob, it called for a thorough review of the matter to forestall any industrial unrest and indiscipline likely to result from Mr Gawu’s removal.
“We see this move as an indirect attempt to completely sideline Mr Gawu from the unit he is supposed to preside over and render him more or less useless. We find it very demeaning for Mr Gawu to be removed from the office premises he occupied and performed his official duties and now being made to float around without any office”.
“Our group, therefore, wishes to strongly condemn and protest against such a move that does not only constitute an unfair treatment but also a plain disregard for laid down functional structures and good management practice.
“We will not remain mute when injustice of any kind is meted out to any of our members, the same way we will not hesitate to chastise any member of our group who happens to misconduct himself,” the group added.
