19 midwives of Wa Municipal Hospital charged for extorting patients

Management of the Wa Municipal Hospital has directed 19 staff of the facility to refund various sums of money believed to have been illegally earned from clients of the facility.

The decision for reimbursement was arrived at after a six-member disciplinary committee found the 19 workers culpable for engaging in indiscriminate sales of non-drug medical consumables, making improper demands from clients and collecting unauthorised fees at the maternity ward of the hospital.

According to the Management, the refunds, ranging between GH¢4 and GH¢286 are part of other punitive measures imposed on the affected staff by the six-member disciplinary committee tasked to investigate complaints of extortion, insubordination, and charging of illegal fees, as well as the illegal sale of non-drug consumables at the hospital.

The administrator of the Wa Municipal Hospital, Sampson Abu, confirming the issue on Channel One TV, indicated management decided to investigate the staff after receiving several complaints of inappropriate behaviours.

“The hospital’s administration has recently received significant public criticism for its awful staff conduct towards customers. One of the most serious concerns was the alleged illegal indiscriminate sale of non-drug medical consumables to clients at the maternity ward, notwithstanding management precautions.

“So in our quest to demonstrate commitment to upholding the dignity of both clients and staff, a committee was formed to investigate the issues and the investigations came out with evidence implicating a number of midwives in grave violations.”

The administrator cited surgical gloves, urinary catheters, urine bags, pads and bed mats as some of the non-drug medical consumables sold by the midwives to expectant mothers at the maternity ward on the blind side of the hospital’s authorities.

He said some of the midwives also confessed to improper demands and the collection of unauthorised fees contrary to the Ghana Health Service’s code of conduct and disciplinary procedures.

The administrator explained that apart from the refund, some of the affected persons will suffer changes in their work schedule or places and other punitive measures depending on the gravity of their offences to serve as a deterrent to all other staff of the municipal hospital.

Mr. Abu, however, said all the actions taken against the staff were in strict adherence to Chapter 8 sub-sections 1 and 4 of the Ghana Health Service code of conduct and disciplinary procedures which talk about major offences and penalties.

Management of the hospital urged the public to continue to have trust in the facility and not to hesitate to report all issues for redress.

At the time of filing this report, Channel One News contacted some of the affected midwives for their responses but they declined with the reason that they were going to meet and respond appropriately.