KATH board in crunch meeting over ‘missing’ GH¢300K from its bank account

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Board members of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Members (KATH) are looking into how GH¢300,000 was withdrawn from an account of the second-largest health facility in the country under unknown circumstances.

The total amount, a report by The Chronicle newspaper has said, was withdrawn in three tranches at the Adum branch of Fidelity Bank.

The board members of KATH are therefore looking into the contentious matter, along with other issues, the report added, further indicating that an official document in its possession shows that the first transaction happened on July 4, 2023.

The first transaction saw an amount of GH¢100,000 withdrawn from the account of the hospital, with details such as PV No. 035789 and drawn on Cheque No. 220588, and drawn in the name of the deputy director of budget, but cashed by a certain Seth Adjei Appiah.

The paper added that the description that was given for this transaction was:

“Being funds for preparation, compilation of documents for critical engagement with NHIA (National Health Insurance Authority)”.

In the second transaction, which reportedly happened on the same day (July 4, 2023), the deputy director of budget was also the same person whose name was on it, just as Seth Adjei Appiah made the withdrawal.

This transaction was for GH¢80,000, also withdrawn from the KATH bank account at the Adum branch of Fidelity Bank with the description, “Being funds for preparation, compilation of documents.”

The last transaction, involving GH¢120,000, was done on August 14, 2023, also issued by the same deputy director of budget, with the description, “Being funds released to arrange and facilitate meeting with key leadership of health in Accra,” the report added.

The Chronicle also gathered that none of these withdrawals were done with the knowledge of the board of the hospital.

“KATH, like any other institution, has its budget line for its social and corporate responsibilities expenditures annually and it is applied as approved by the Board and Parliament. These illicit withdrawals are even unknown to the Board,” the source in the newspaper said.

Also, the paper stated in its report that a top official with the mandate to speak on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Prof. Otchere Addae-Mensah; and the Director of Finance, Elvis Kusi; said some of the expenditures incurred were part of the hospital’s social responsibility activities.

He added that these include the sponsorship of sporting events, courtesies towards the media, and other expenses that could not be officially couched as such in official documents.

“In all these, The Chronicle established that there were no stakeholder meetings involving OKomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Accra or Kumasi.

“Both the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) head office in Accra and its regional office in Kumasi told The Chronicle that there were no strategic meetings in Accra and Kumasi in July and August, involving KATH,” the report stated.

The Board Members of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital are reported to be holding a crunch meeting to get to the bottom of this matter.

By: www.ghanaweb.com