The Principal of the Tepa Nursing and Midwifery Training College in the Ahafo Ano North of the Ashanti Region, Dr Victoria Amoah has observed that her detractors are those fabricating stories about her just to yank her from the institution.
“I am not worried about plans to get me out of the school, what I am worried about is trying to soil my reputation I have taken several years to build”, she observed.
According to her, she has toiled to make the institution what it is today and because it has become attractive, some unseen hands are working behind the scenes to get her fired in order to pave way for them or their favourites.
“The allegations are fabricated. In 2008 former President Kufuor through the then Health Minister Courage Quashigah tasked me while I was a deputy Principal of Berekum Nursing Training College to do feasibility studies on the establishment of the Nursing training College. After it, I was appointed the acting principal and started the School in January 2009, I started it from the scratch. I started it when there was no school. We started with 70 students running the Health Assistants Programme. In 2011 we started the registered midwifery and in 2013 we added registered general nursing gaining the status of a tertiary institution going through the mandated structures. We have a good academic track record the reason why many applicants are yearning to be enrolled in the school. People have seen the school is grown and now want me out. I have no problem but the disgrace they are subjecting me to is my major worry”, she revealed.
Investigations have uncovered irregularities in admissions and financial transactions at the College which among others include shady deals in fuel administration by the management, which is draining the state of huge sums of money into private pockets.
Ministry of Health payment vouchers showed that the Principal spent GH¢29,150 as travel expenses for herself and her driver.
The figure excludes the cost of fuel for three official trips to Accra. A journey to Accra by Madam Amoah and her driver on January 5, 2016, to collect scratch cards for the institution cost GH¢19,450 minus fuel.
On another payment voucher, expenses for similar day’s journey to Accra by the Principal on January 13, 2016, were quoted at GH¢6,700 besides fuel.
Other visits captured featured GH¢3,000 as personal expenses to Accra.
Hundreds of fake receipts issued to cover a non-refundable interview and result verification fees paid by applicants between 2012 and 2016 were also discovered in the investigation.
Students of the College have been demanding answers for the whereabouts of over GH¢52,000 they paid as matriculation fees over five years.