Controversy has arisen over the use of the 10% pay cut of all previous government appointees including the President and his Vice, but a former Deputy Information Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu has disclosed that the former administration managed to complete five (5) of the CHPS compound nationwide out of 11 the government tackled.
The former Deputy Information Minister in his facebook reaction also disclosed that, five (5) of the CHPS compound were left at the various stages of completion before the National Democratic Congress exited power on January 7, 2017.
The five completed CHPS compounds is a far cry from the 1600 former President John Dramani Mahama promised to build by 2016.
Launching the Campaign for Accelerated Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) and the Newborn Health Week celebration accountability report in Accra on 1st December, 2013, President John Mahama urged other government appointees to follow the initiative by the government, instead of criticising it.
He said if all public sector employees followed the example and gave just two per cent of their salaries to build Community Health Programme and Service (CHPS) compounds, “we’ll be able to build 2,000 CHIPS compounds across the country”.
For instance, he said, the amount that would accrue from the 10 per cent cut in his salary and those of the Vice-President, ministers of state and other government appointees, would be used to build 1,600 compounds by 2016.
According to the Auditor General’s 2016 performance report on the Finance Ministry and Controller and Accountant General, proceeds from former President John Mahama and his appointees in the 10% salary cut policy could not be accounted for.
The charitable austerity was announced by the former President. His vice, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, as well as all ministers of state took the 10% pay cut. The pay cut summed up to a total of GHS2.5million at the end of December 2016.
The amount was deposited in a special account recommended by the former president to be used for the construction of Community-based Health Planning and Services compounds or CHPS compounds.
Head of payroll at the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, George Baah in an interview with TV3 in February said: “A monthly average of around GH¢52,000 accrued from the deductions.”
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of parliament on August 9 2017, Controller and Accountant General Eugene Ofusuhene said former Chief of Staff Julius Debrah in a letter ordered the transfer of the amount in 2014.
"...As to what they have done with the money that one is not an area for us to answer because it was not statutory deductions which we should have taken and then say pay to SSNIT or pay to GRA. This one was a voluntary deduction so when you deduct you give it to the one who asked you to deduct on his behalf.”
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