Government to privatize Korle Bu Hospital Mortuary

 

Mynewsafric.com has picked up information suggesting that the management of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is in the process of handing over the state’s health facility mortuary to a private company to manage.

Intelligence received from an interested person who wants to remain anonymous said management of the hospital is giving the state asset away to be privatized in a 70/30 percent agreement, which will see the private company run the mortuary for 25 years.

According to our source, the deal which is being kept close to the chest of the management of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, is almost at the signing state as the two parties have already agreed to the terms involved.

Our source said there are fears among employees at the state run morgue as they are not sure what their fate will be after the takeover, adding that plans are underway to stage a massive nationwide demonstration against the deal to press for a reversal.

“My brother, the Mortuary is a cash cow, generating huge amount of money, and let me ask ohh, is it too difficult to run a mortuary?” the source asked in bewilderment.

The source expressed worries over the 30% to the state which he described as peanut, adding that “the whole thing is just an attempt by some bigwigs in management to secure their retirement, In fact, it is just a retirement benefit”.

“As we speak, Korle Bu lands have been allocated to this company to build entirely new Mortuary by this private company, it will be a complete funeral home and our concern is how ordinary Ghanaians will afford that,” the source noted.

The source also said rumours are rife among workers suggesting that after they are done with Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Mortuary, the next will be the  Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi and the rest of government-run teaching hospitals.

“Soon we will petition Parliament to intervene because if this deal were to be genuine I don’t think it would be shrouded in secrecy,” the source revealed.

“Even if it will take us to the Presidency, we will go”

Head of Department at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Mortuary, Dr. Afua Abrahams, according our source, has been aware of the current development but kept it from the workers at the facility.

Meanwhile, when Mynewsafric.com reached out to Dr. Afua Abrahams on phone for her comment, she only said “I don’t know anything about that,” then dropped the call”.

When we placed the call for the second time, she picked and after listening to our question, she responded “Don’t call me again, you hear, I mean it,” then dropped the call again.

Mynewsafric.com made an attempt to reach the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital Dr. Opoku Ware Ampomah for further clarifications but was unsuccessful.

But when we placed another call to the Public Relations Officer of the hospital Mustapha Salifu, he explained that the plan is not to shut down the current Mortuary, rather a proposal was received from a private company that wishes to provide services that are not being provided by the hospital’s Mortuary.

He said the move was to enhance services being rendered currently at the Mortuary and not to collapse it as being speculated.

“Yes, we have received a proposal like that sometimes in 2019 or 2020 which supposed to provide services that are not currently being provided, it will be independent of services we provide. But we are not privatizing the existing Mortuary”.

“To say we are privatizing the Mortuary is not true. The old one will run while the proposed one will provide services that we are not currently available. The proposal is under consideration,” Salifu said.

Source: mynewsafric.com