Bagbin Confirm Attacks On Him �

The newly-appointed Minister of Health, Alban Sumani Kingsford Bagbin, has confirmed speculations that, even before he apprises himself fully of the happenings at the Ministry, there are certain individuals who are machinating to oust him from his new post. Mr. Bagbin made the revelation last Saturday on �Ghana Must Know�, a weekend investigative programme hosted by Justice Annan, on Hot FM, an Accra based radio station. According to him, he had received several attacks though not physical, from his adversaries after his one day working visit to the Ghana premier health center, Korle-Bu Teachings Hospital to acquaint himself with the activities and the challenges at the hospital. Mr. Bagbin after the visit, suggested dissolution of the Board, a suggestion fiercely contested by the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Prof Nii Otu Nartey. Speaking on the programme, Mr. Bagbin stated that he was aware that several people within the hospital and the Ministry of Health were not happy with his remarks in calling for the dissolution of the Korle-Bu governing Board. He said he did not come to the conclusion that the Board be dissolved out on hearsay but through �briefing from the Management, the Board and my predecessor�. He reiterated his decision to dissolve the board in consultation with President Mills to ensure that the Better Ghana agenda was achieved. He expressed confidence that he had the support of President Mills to heal the ailing premier heath facility. Mr. Kwasi Ani-Adjei, Chief Administrator of Volta River Authority Hospital and a Health Consultant who also spoke on the programme, appealed to the President to consider the urgent need to dissolve the Korle-Bu governing Board to safeguard the hospital from a total collapse. Meanwhile a Board member of the Hospital, Eric Atieku has backed the suggestion by the Health Minister for the board to be dissolved, saying the step has been �long overdue�. Speaking on Joy fm, an Accra based radio station, Mr. Atieku who says he has not attended any board meeting for months now, said the Boardroom wrangling was an indication that �all is not well� at the country�s premier teaching hospital. �When it gets to this level, the board must be dissolved and reconstituted,� he added. He cited, for instance, the decision to �revoke� the appointment of the Director of Administration at the hospital, saying the act and other decisions taken by the two are very embarrassing. He explained: �To me as a Lawyer, there is nothing in the Labour Law called revocation of appointment: you either dismiss, suspend or terminate somebody�s appointment. But they wrote a letter that the Director of Administration is revoked and I think that that is very embarrassing.�