THERE is seeming tension in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in the Greater Accra Region over an award of contract signed between the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the country’s premier hospital and L. B Food Supply in May 31 2016, Today can report.
The situation, according to sources close to the hospital, has led to a temporary ban on doctors at the hospital from taking food at the eatery, effective from February 13, 2017
The said contract was signed by the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital, Dr. Gilbert Buckle
“This is to notify you that your tender dated 17th May, 2016 for the execution of contract for LOTII- Supply of Fresh Beetroo and others listed in the table below in a framework agreement in the amount of Sixty Five Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty Cedis (GH¢65, 430.00), is hereby accepted, and it shall be executed from June, 2016 to November, 2016,” part of the contract agreement stated.
The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital eatery was built in1980 to prepare food for medical and other staff members of the hospital as well as patients on admission.
The eatery has for sometime now been running on deficit “because of what sources say is due to an inflated agreement between the hospital and L. B. Foods that supplies food items to the canteen.”
A copy of the agreement, which is in the possession of Today, showed how food items were “shamefully” hyped by the L. B Suppliers.
According to the document, between May 31, 2016 and November 2016, the canteen started running at a loss due to the fact that L. B. Foods was selling items to the eatery at exorbitant prices, sometimes quadrupling the cost.
As a result of that, the hospital board decided to organise its own market findings.
When Today contacted the former Board Chairman of Korle Bu, Professor Mawuli Sallar, he explained that when his board assumed office, they discovered that the said contract had been inflated.
According to him, they realised that 80% of losses at the hospital was from expenditure, “so they started working on how to reduce it, and with the help of management, they were able to terminate the contract.”
He said the contracts were over inflated.
“If I can buy the same basket of food for a 100 Ghana Cedis why should I give a contract for it to be sold to me at 210 Ghana Cedis? And when we asked we were told it was a typo error,” he said.
Meanwhile the Public Relations Department of the hospital has declined to speak on the issue, describing it as an ‘internal affair.’
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