NADOWLI/KALEO: YOUTH PROTEST OVER POOR MANAGEMENT IN DISTRICT HOSPITAL

A group of young persons christened Concerned Youth of Nadowli/Kaleo on Wednesday, 20th September, virtually brought economic activities to a standstill as they embarked on a mammoth demonstration over what they described as the mismanagement of the district's hospital.

Clad in red and black attire, the hundreds of charged youth convened by some assembly members of the Nadowli/Kaleo district, leaders of other youth groups and other opinion leaders marched through the principal streets of Nadowli to drum home their call for sanity in the district hospital.

The demonstrators carried placards with some inscriptions which include; administrator must go, stop the inflation of contracts, pay casual workers amongst others.

The Concerned Youth of Nadowli/Kaleo presented their petition to the district health director of health services. In the petition, their accused the hospital administrator and the medical superintendent of running a parallel management hence, dividing the worker's amongst those lines hence causing administrative inefficiencies.

The group further accused the management of the hospital for pilfering and embezzlement. ' Management is steal fueling packed vehicles that spoilt years back using our meagre resources for parochial interest. How can damaged vehicles still draw fuel?' They queried.

The youth of Nadowli/Kaleo has however been left with awe that some staff who have been provided with decent accomodations have abandoned them but rather commute from Wa to Nadowli daily at the expense of the hospital.

Moreover, the group isn't enthused about the physical conditions of the hospital. They complain that the hospital is fast deteriorating and most of the wards are not befitting for patients yet next to nothing is being done about.

Concerned Youth of Nadowli/Kaleo district also complained about the award of contracts to management members by themselves. Which they believe conflict of interests situations do arise. In same vein, they accused management of the hospital of inflating contracts one of such in the petition is the renovation of a male ward at an initial cost of Gh 17,000 but mysteriously ended up to a whooping Gh 127,000.

The petition which is to be presented to the Member of Parliament, DCE, regional minister and regional health director seeks to get a quick resolution of the matter in two weeks.

The youth in their petition have called for a major shakeup within the management of the hospital and have threatened to lock up the office of the hospital's administrator if their call should fall on deaf ears.