CPA to sue health ministry over ‘unapproved’ toilet levies in public hospitals

The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) has dared to sue the Ministry of Health if it has failed to halt management of the Korlebu Teaching Hospital including other public hospitals in the country from wanton collection of ‘unproved levies’ from patients upon use of toilet facility in hospitals.
Kofi Kapito, CEO OF CPA

The Agency has therefore given a -21-day ultimatum period to the newly administration of the Ministry of Health to see to the closure of the “illegal act”. 

This follows an attempt by the CPA to stop the Ministry of Health from allowing the Korlebu Teaching Hospital including some government hospitals in the country from charging a sum of GH₵ 50 pesewas from patients as a toilet fees.

According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Consumer Protection Agency, Kofi Kapito, the move has become necessary despite every effort to reach the authorities to put a stop to the ‘dastard act’ which has crippled many patients including pregnant women since last year.

He said he personally wrote to the former Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Victor Bampoe as well as the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Ebenezer Appiah- Denkyira including other health authorities that matters but upon assurance that the matter will be dealt with yet nothing concrete has come out of it.

As a result, scores of patients have had to battle with the situation on daily basis after their incessant complains have gone unheeded.  

But addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, February 2, 2016, Kofi Kapito said “I’m giving the new Minister of Health 21 days if the practice did not stop, they will see me in court because nobody is allowed to carry an illegal act”.

“The act should be made to stop at once and all the monies collected should be accounted for immediately” he added.

The CEO maintains the act is ripe at Korlebu especially within the maternity ward, OPD ward including the eye clinic area where patients including even pregnant women are asked to pay an amount of GH₵30 pesewas for urinal and additional GH₵ 20 pesewas for toilet.

He noted upon visiting the  Korlebu  on one occasion,  he observed the act was going on which prompted him to demand an explanation form the  Deputy Director of  Korlebu only to be told that it has become necessary for them to charge patients  because they needed money to buy cleaning materials and others to maintain the toilet facility.

“We cannot live in a country where patients or family members go to the hospital and they are asked to pay to use toilet” Kofi lamented.

According to Kofi, no government institution by law is permitted to levy the people of Ghana without the approval of parliament. “So why would any manager go and hide with his heads to perpetrate an illegal act” he wondered.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Protection Agency is also urging Parliament to reject any bill put before him seeking for approval of levy on toilet facilities within public hospitals across the country.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Photo of a man with amazingly ‘super head’ causes a stir on social media

Image
Many eyes have seen it but are yet to believe. To those who are convinced that God's creature exits on earth with such a weird shape of head have been left totally flabbergasted and worried too.That is human nature; doubting Thomases everywhere. A man whose photo has been making rounds on social media platforms has been the one in the centre of a huge controversy that rendered onlookers astounded and divided. The photograph in question has really created a scene that is of comic relief and over-sensational. The problem per se is not about his facial appearance but borders specifically on the 'caricature' shape of his head coupled with his jaw-jutting chin which has become the point of attraction at all cost.  It appears no amount of words could best describe the shape of his 'Hill-Valley-Hill Head' which looks very sparkling without hairs on it.  But some social media users who caught sight of the photograph have been reacting with varying
Read more

Why Ghana must prioritise establishment of Public Health Emergency Fund to support healthcare delivery

Image
  People and the diseases they carry can be easily transmitted to any location in a matter of hours since we live in a linked, globalized society. Infectious illness epidemics are becoming more common, particularly in developing nations, where they have severe effects on people's health, social conditions, and economies. An epidemic is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. Being no respecter of person, an epidemic disease can affect both young and old of the society. The world since its creation has encountered several kinds of epidemics which have claimed many lives and caused great devastations to nations of the world. In the last century for instance, the world has been hit by six (6) different kinds of epidemics with devastating results on its economy, people’s health and social conditions. Between 1918-1922, Russia was unfortunate to have been hit hard by Typhus, (a fever caused by bacteria that are spread t
Read more

Video: Saving lives, contributing to achieving SDGs; the success story of Human Rights Reporters Ghana

Image
  In a bid to help end the kidnappings as well as the burgeoning human rights and social issues in Ghana and beyond, the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) in 2019 embarked on a ‘Nationwide Sensitization Campaign on Kidnapping, Teenage, Pregnancy and Tramadol/Drug Abuse’ (KTT). The campaign, popularly known as the ‘KTT Project’, focused on addressing issues of kidnapping, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse but equally set about creating a deeper education on human rights to bring about a cultural change. The ‘messiah initiative’ which saw a dedicated team of young volunteers in communities, schools and religious settings within three regions of the country managed to reach over 60,000 Ghanaians over two years sensitizing them on the most pressing and critical and social issues Ghana is facing.   HRRG team of volunteers The HRRG is a non-governmental organization (NGO) which brings together journalists, news editors, human rights activists, advocates, defenders and lawyers to advan
Read more