In a new twist to the impasse over the management of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr. Thomas Winsum Anaba, the dismissed Medical Director of the hospital has filed a suit at the Human Rights High Court, praying the court to order his reinstatement.
He is also requesting the court to declare the decision of the Minister of Health to relieve him of his post as the Medical Director of the hospital “unlawful, null and void and of no effect.”
In addition, Dr. Anaba is asking the court to prohibit the Minister of Health and any person of authority, acting or purporting to act on his orders, from “taking any unreasonable, unfair, unjust and capricious decision” against him.
Dr. Anaba pleaded with the court to order the Ghana Health Service to pay him all his emoluments and other entitlements for the remaining of the term of his contract as Medical Director of the hospital as an alternative to all the reliefs being sought.
The Minister of Health, recently caused the “dismissal” and later changed to transfer Dr. Anaba from the hospital to the University for Development Studies (UDS).
But the Medical Director raised questions over the Health Minister’s involvement in his removal, rejecting the directives of the Ministry to him to leave office.
Dr. Anaba’s suit argued that, the Health Minister lacked legal authority to relieve him of his post as the Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge.
He argued that the purported action of the Minister contained in a letter dated May 10, 2017 “is unfair, unreasonable and does not comply with the requirements of the 1992 Constitution and the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Act, 1996 (Act 525).”
He contended that the action of the Minister constitutes an abuse of power as it amounted to his constructive dismissal without just cause.
Giving a history of his contract, Dr. Anaba noted that in July 2015, while he was a senior lecturer at UDS, he applied for the position of Medical Director of the hospital having reviewed an advertisement for management of several hospitals including the aforementioned health facility.
He said he was subsequently invited by telephone to attend an interview on October 22, 2015 where he met two other applicants- Dr. Emmanuel Srofenyoh, now the acting Medical Director of Greater Accra Regional Hospital and Dr. Kofi Amedi.
On December 23, 2015, he said a letter from the Ghana Health Service was addressed through him to UDS, requesting for his release to take up the position he applied for.
Upon receipt of the letter, Dr. Anaba said he discussed with the Vice Chancellor of UDS an exit plan.
He said on January 2016 he was called by the Ghana Health Service to pick up his appointment letter as the Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and he performed his duties and responsibilities in accordance with the terms and conditions of his appointment.
“However, on Friday, May 13, 2017 at 3pm a man walked into my office and delivered a letter from the Minister of Health of which the content stated that, I have been relieved from my current position as Medical Director of the hospital,” he said.
He said two hours after the delivery of the letter by the Director General of Ghana Health Service, the Regional Director walked into his office and requested that Dr. Srefenyoh takes over immediately as the Acting Director of the hospital, but when he (Dr. Anaba) asked for reasons for his removal, the Regional Director said “she was merely following orders from above.”
He said the letter further instructed him to revert to his former employment with the UDS, but the applicant insists that the Health Minister acted in bad faith and that the reason assigned for his purported removal is unlawful.
By: Adotey Mingle/adrdaily.com
