Members of the Korle Bu Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) are demanding the immediate interdiction of the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Gilbert Buckle, Director of Finance Bright Korkuyie and Chief Internal Auditor Stephen Ayer Perdison over unauthorised Christmas bonuses received.

The three – members of the management board – have been in the news recently for paying themselves over GH¢300,000 in Christmas bonuses without due authorisation from the board, following a 3FM exposé by Sarah Parku.

In a statement released on Monday, January 23, KOSSA said it is not surprised at all with the issue only that management has “succeeded in outsmarting the Board in this particular sordid financial affair”.

Signed by Vice President Augustine Sowah, the statement indicated that Professor Mawuli Sallar’s board cannot claim innocence as the actions of the Gilbert Buckle-led management have already been raised by the Association.

It said even correspondence over a number of corruption-infested issues at the Hospital with the immediate past Minister of Health, Dr Alex Segbefia, have received no replies.

“The Minister’s long lackadaisical attitude rather reinforced the embodiment of the rapist’s wrongdoers to wrongfully interdict KOSSA President Mr. Charles Ofei-Palm.”

KOSSA accused Prof Sallar as playing politics with the issue on each occasion, just like the then Minister.

“We are not surprised by the actions of the current Management headed by Dr Gilbert Buckle to have paid themselves huge sums of monies as this due to their penchant for abuse of power, mismanagement and misappropriation of funds, with the tacit support of the Prof Mawuli Sallar Board,” the statement said.

It demanded the interdiction of the three management members and a forensic audit into Dr Buckle’s tenure, which officially ends February 1, 2017.

KOSSA also wants a new board and management to be put in place “as a matter of urgency”.

It also called on the incoming minister, who has promised to look into the issue if approved by Parliament, to “be more concerned and proactive with KBTH than his predecessors”.