Some midwives, numbering a total of 19, at the Wa Municipal Hospital in the Upper West Region have been found guilty by a Disciplinary Committee of the hospital of taking money unprofessionally and illegally from patients through charging illegal fees, selling unapproved medical products and taking bribes.
The midwives are to refund monies from as low as GHc4 to as high as Ghc286 they illegally took from unsuspecting expectant mothers who had come to the maternity ward for medical care. The money will be handed to the affected patients.
According to the six-member Disciplinary Committee, the midwives were found to have sold non-drug medical consumables, made improper demands from clients and took unauthorized fees at the maternity ward of the hospital.
Confirming the disciplinary action taken against the midwives, administrator of the Wa Municipal Hospital, Sampson Abu, stated that the Disciplinary Committee was set up after numerous complaints from patients about extortion and misconduct on the part of midwives at the facility.
“The hospital’s administration has recently received significant public criticism for its awful staff conduct towards customers.
One of the most serious concerns was the alleged illegal indiscriminate sale of non-drug medical consumables to clients at the maternity ward, notwithstanding management precautions. So in our quest to demonstrate commitment to upholding the dignity of both clients and staff, a committee was formed to investigate the issues and the investigations came out with evidence implicating a number of midwives in grave violations,” the administrator said in a media interview.
The news of the disciplinary action has been well-received by the people of the municipality.
Source:MyNewsGH
