Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on the third day of its sitting, Wednesday, 18 January 2023, ordered for the arrest of two guarantors of two former staff of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for failing to fulfil bonds after being sponsored to pursue their higher education.
According to the report of the Auditor-General the former workers of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital failed to honour their bonds or refund an amount to the tune of GHS98,546.00 which was spent on their studies abroad.
The chairman of the committee, James Klutse Avedzi ordered for the arrest of the guarantors when the Minister of Health, Kweku Agyeman Manu, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Chief Director and Senior Officers of the Health Service appeared before the Committee to answer to infractions in the Auditor-General’s report for the year ended 31st December, 2020.
Mr Avedzi called on the government to review the current guarantor system used to support workers to pursue higher education.
According to the Chairman of the Committee, most of the beneficiaries do not comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement after completing their programmes, adding that this situation makes it difficult for the state to recover the investment made in these workers.
He was of the view that government could allow interested applicants to use banks as guarantors instead of individuals so that defaulted workers can easily be tracked and arrested.
Members of the Committee asked questions relating to the queries cited in the A-G’s report and officials from the Ministry of Health and agencies including NTC-Pantang, Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics, Nurses Training College Damongo among others.
Source: newsghana.com.gh