The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng and the Ministry of Health led by the Minister, Major (Rtd) Courage Quarshigah and the Chief Director, Lepowura Alhaji M. N. D. Jawula are locked up in verbal tirade that can explode into something else if the government does not call for a ceasefire. Barely a day after the Ministry, through its Chief Director, had said it had the authority to decide the fate of the premier hospital in the country by determining who becomes its Chief Executive Officer, the current CEO has described that move by the Minister and the Chief Director as ignorance of the Act that set up Teaching Hospitals in the country. Reacting in an interview to a news report on the front page of The Independent on Monday that sought to suggest that the Ministry had a bone to pick with Professor Frimpong Boateng, the latter descended on his Minister and Chief Director indicating to them that they are over stepping their bounds. Prof. Boateng said when he leaves Korle-Bu on an assignment outside the hospital or leaves for good, there will be no vacuum created by his absence because an arrangement is in place whereby the Director of Medical Services acts as the Chief Executive. He described as unfortunate and ignorant the position by the Ministry that there could ever be a vacuum in the absence of a CEO. Citing an instance to buttress his position, he said, when Dr. Holdbroke Smith left office as CEO in 2001, there was a period of more than six months before a new CEO was appointed. He disclosed that, Dr. Ben Annan, Director of Medical Services of the hospital acted as Chief Executive until a replacement was found. He said Alhaji Jawula would do himself and the Ministry a lot of good if he should find time to learn how things go on at the hospital and that if he (Jawula) does not know, he should not mislead the public. According to Prof Boateng, that would save the Chief Director from advertising his ignorance and save himself from embarrassment. He challenged the latter to prove to him that he or the Ministry once wanted to see him or discuss an issue with him but he was not at post. An irritated Prof. Boateng told The Independent that, since the current Health Minister, Major (Rtd) Courage Quarshigah and the Chief Director, Lepowura Alhaji Jawula assumed office, they have never paid a familiarization visit to Korle-Bu except to come there occasionally to commission projects, and asked, "how can they know how the hospital functions." The Korle-Bu CEO said the situation that pertains at the hospital in terms of administration and the running of the place is more complex than what the Chief Director thinks, but he as the CEO is always on top of issues. Prof. Frimpong Boateng said, he was demanding an apology from Alhaji Jawula for the offensive statement he made to the effect that, "the problem of the Ministry has to do with absentee management and lack of sufficient delegation of authority." "That statement is insulting, he should not make unguarded statements about issues he has no knowledge about" Prof. Boateng said. According to Professor Frimpong Boateng, the Ministry, the Minister and the Chief Director have no authority to sack a CEO of a Teaching Hospital in the country and urged them to educate themselves by reading Act 525 that established Teaching Hospitals. "If they have that authority why did they discuss the matter with the Board Chairman and followed it up with a letter to the Board Chairman," he quizzed and added that "Jawula can fume but the fact is that, he has no authority to sack a CEO of a Teaching Hospital." Prof. Boateng said, since he returned from Germany in 1988 to establish the Cardiothoracic Centre, the current Minister is the eleventh person to head the Ministry and he has also worked with equal number of Chief Directors. He mentioned the Ministers he once worked with as Nana Tano, Air Commodore Klutse, Nana Akuoku Sarpong, Dr. Mrs. Brookman Amissah, Mr. Samuel Nuamah Donkor and Col. Osei Owusu during the regime of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He mentioned the rest as Prof. Kwaku Danso Boafo and Commodore Steve Obimpeh also during NDC regime and Dr. Richard Anane and Dr. Kweku Afriyie under the New Patriotic Party regime and currently Major (Rtd) Courage Quarshigah. To the Korle-Bu CEO, this period is perhaps the most difficult period in the life of Korle-Bu, in the sense that, it is operating under virtually no subvention from government. He cited for instance the rehabilitation of the Medical Block, which he said has not been completed, and the Ministry keeps contradicting itself. "When the Minister has said that he has voted money for work to go on, the Chief Director writes to say there is no money and that the hospital should complete the work with its internally generated fund," Prof Boateng lamented. Source: The Independent