The narrative and public disappointment of this ongoing narrative appears to be just one of the modus operandi of exploitation within the public health sector.
The following questions and the possible answers will throw more light on these happenings.
1. Is it the case that, prior to this investigation, the doctors did not write to have the consumables included in the facility’s procurement plan so that, that space is left or created for exploitation or now, this has hurriedly been done as an afterthought or cover up when they realized, they were being investigated? Aah but it is obvious the prescriptions on this pad are inadvertently directions to and adverts for the Axis pharmacy. Is this acceptable? Are these doctors middlemen?
2. Is it that, the non-inclusion of the surgical consumables and implants into the hospital’s procurement plan is dellliberate to create a situation of “the hospital is not procuring narrative”? The Ministry’s investigation should start with the content of the facility’s last three years procurement plans looking for the input from the doctors on consumables and implants in particular.
3. Is the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, in stating that the Axis pharmacy prescription form placed at the Ridge Hospital was a souvenir per the account (with all those special features of attached phone numbers)is acceptable practice in Ghana Health Service and it should be replicated in all services within GHS? That as a former ICD Director of GHS for years, he does not know that using a private facility prescription in a public hospital is not right ? Aahhh
4. How does a doctor at the Ridge Hospital (a public hospital) know the code of items at a private pharmacy?
5. The patients and their relatives are not allowed to see the consummables and implants because it is sterile or supposed to be. So, how does a pharmacy attendant know what particular item(s) to send without seeing? Is it sent to Ridge hospital without handling/holding? Are these things not sterilized at the CSSD before use? Maybe the patient or relative may see the item take a picture, google and find the actual price. Then the kalabule will be exposed. What if the item is in the hospital and is re usable but the patient or relative is just being sent to the private pharmacy to pay. The rest is a good guess
6. After taking the prescription, every thing else afterwards looks opaque from messages to invoices, payments and procedure etc
7. Is there an implant policy forwarded to the Ghana Health Service Headquarters as stated by the Driector of Ridge Hospital? When was this sent and received or is it now going to be acted on because of this matter?.
8. Will the Director General of the Ghana Health Service mentioned in the documentary be interdicted?.
9. The OSP and the financial crime institutions should look into the accounts of these private pharmacies (Axis, Staraid and any others that may come up ) over the last four or five years for transfers to any public health staff’s account and what it was for, as well as any others irregularities
10. Interestingly there are no taxes on the documents seen ? GRA please do a tax audit of these pharmacies
11. The make up of the investigation team should have external parties to MOH maybe lawyers , crime officers , auditors etc in there because of the profile of the persons involved
