19 midwives in hot water as extortion scandal hits Wa Municipal Hospital

Nineteen staff members of the Wa Municipal Hospital have been charged for illegally taking money from clients, of the facility.

Following an extensive investigation into the alleged extortion which proved to be accurate, management has ordered the suspects to refund the various sums of money they earned from the clients illegally.

The probe by a six-member disciplinary committee revealed that the accused persons engaged in indiscriminate sales of non-drug medical consumables and collected unauthorised fees at the maternity ward of the hospital.

According to management, the refunds, which range from GH¢4 to GH¢286, are part of the punitive measures imposed on the affected staff by the six-member disciplinary committee.

This committee was tasked with investigating complaints of extortion, insubordination, charging of illegal fees, and the illegal sale of non-drug consumables at the hospital.

The administrator of the Wa Municipal Hospital, Sampson Abu, confirming the incident in an interview emphasized that management decided to investigate the issue after receiving several complaints of illegalities in the hospital.

“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 some midwives in grave violations,” he noted in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Channel One TV.

The administrator mentioned that the midwives were selling non-drug medical consumables such as surgical gloves, urinary catheters, urine bags, pads, and bed mats to expectant mothers in the maternity ward without the knowledge 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.

READ ALSO: 2 police officers interdicted for extortion

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.

The actions taken against the staff according to Mr. Abu are in accordance with 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.