Management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has vehemently denied media reports alleging that funds donated to the facility to fight the COVID-19 pandemic have been misappropriated.
The facility, which was at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, received cash donations and other essential medical supplies from benevolent individuals and institutions who contributed their quota to the hospital’s efforts.
A recent publication on some news portals on the alleged misappropriations of such donations has forced management to respond through the hospital’s lawyers.
They explained that the allegations are false and that the originator was doing so with the sole aim of maliciously denting the hard-earned reputation of management members without basis.
In a letter signed and issued by the solicitor for the hospital, Kwame Adofo, the management said a newspaper publication on September 28, 2021, by the Hawk newspaper with the headline: “KATH splurge COVID-19 donations on luxury cars,” which alleged that the management of KATH had misappropriated donations meant to help ward off the coronavirus by spending US$160,000 to procure vehicles was not true.
It said the publication sought to portray management members of the hospital as criminals who used their positions to divert what was meant for the vulnerable for their personal gains.
The letter added that the publication also referred to the management members as persons who were not fit to be at the helm of affairs at the hospital.
Mr. Adofo said, “Our clients said that the Covid-19 monies were used exclusively to buy various items for the hospital, which have been accounted for and audited.”
He further explained that his clients denied using cash meant for the fight against COVID-19 in the purchase of cars, especially for the CEO and the Medical Director of the hospital.
The lawyer indicated that the hospital had purchased two Toyota saloon cars from Toyota Ghana Limited and was paid for over a period from the hospital’s Internally Generated Funds (IGF) through cash payments and, not, from COVID-19 monies and that members of management found the publication offensive and defamatory.
The publication he said has caused damage to his clients’ character and reputation and has also subjected them to public ridicule.
They have therefore decided to take legal action against the originators of the allegations and have given the perpetrators the opportunity to either deny the story or justify the allegations.
The management of the hospital has therefore cautioned media houses, bloggers, and individuals to refrain from defaming the members of management and the facility or be prepared to justify the allegations in the law courts.
