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The DCE for Ahafo Ano South in the Ashanti Region, Hon. Gabriel Barimma, recently caused a stir when he yelled in public that he is rich and can access medical care anywhere he wants. The DCE passed this comment at an end-of-year programme organized by the district health directorate to reward deserving health workers in the area during the past year. Hon. Barimma was urging the health workers to turn over a new leaf by being courteous to patients who visit the hospital for medical care when suddenly a person in the audience made a weird sound in protest. This reportedly angered Hon. Barimma so he threw the microphone he was using to address his audience down and stormed out of the event grounds, only to return minutes afterwards to disclose his impressive financial status in public. The DCE�s voice was captured by some of the participants at the programme. The full length of Hon. Barimma�s vice was played on Kessben FM�s Breaking News Programme last Saturday. On the tape Hon. Barimma was heard reprimanding the health workers in the district over the harsh manner in which they usually treat patients who visit the hospital for treatment. Before the DCE could land, some of the hospital staff who perhaps were not happy abut Barimma�s remarks, started shouting, creating a chaotic scene in the process. The DCE, who equally didn�t like the response and actions of his audience, retorted to the noise makers that �I have been given the platform to address the people so nobody will listen to your noise.� At that juncture, Barimma attempted to proceed with his speech when suddenly he paused to inquire from the audience, most of whom were health workers at the Makranso Government Hospital, who had made an offensive sound towards him. �Mtcheew� Sound The DCE then lost his temper insisting that someone in the audience had uttered a sound which was offensive, so he dared that person to come out if indeed �he was a man.� Fuming with rage, Hon. Barimma then asked �who made that �Mtcheew� sound? Am I your size? Am I your co-equal that you should pass that sound whilst I am addressing you?� The DCE, who was then in an angry mood said, �You don�t respect people,� after which he said he would not continue with the speech. Most of the people around tried to prevail upon Hon. Barimma not to leave the event grounds, but the enraged DCE threw away the microphone and left, with the chiefs and other officials seated. Before leaving the venue, he said, �I have ended my speech, take your programme, I am leaving.� After spending some few minutes outside the venue, the DCE then returned to the scene to continue, and this time, his words were even harsher. Hon. Barimma, who was by this time sure that the one who showed disrespect to him was a staff of the hospital said, �if you are a staff at the hospital and so what? I will never come to your hospital again.� The DCE then added, �I won�t come to your hospital for you to display gross disrespect towards me. I have money, what do you think we look for money for? I can go to any hospital that I want.� No Mortuary Still fuming he said it was his dead body that would be brought to Mankranso Government Hospital, and then added sarcastically, �Even mortuary, you don�t have here.� Hon. Barimma however charged the staff to stop displaying gross indiscipline, and disrespecting people who visit the hospital for medical care. Meanwhile, Hon. Barimma has confirmed to Daily Guide that indeed he was provoked by a health worker at a programme at Makranso which was held late last year, making him angry in the process. He however denied being fabulously rich explaining that he was ridiculed by a man in the audience so he became angry and uttered those words. Hon. Barimma, apparently justifying his comments, said he had received several complaints from people in the district about the rude manner in which the hospital staff treat them. The DCE, who claimed to have once been a victim of the rude nature of the hospital staff, explained that even as the DCE who had the means to access medical care outside, he was once ill-treated by the hospital�s staff. He said he was therefore telling the gathering that if the hospital�s staff would treat him badly then what would be the fate of the poor farmers in the area when they visit the hospital for treatment. Hon. Barimma said the public, notably the radio stations in the city, were misconstruing what he really meant when he addressed the health workers in his district, noting that he was not bragging abut his wealth.