A group calling itself Concerned Health Oriented Contractors in the country has petitioned President, John Dramani Mahama to immediately re -assign the Chief Planner and Head of Infrastructural Directorate of the Health Sector, Benjamin Ampomah Nkansah and four other senior officers.
The contractors alleged, that Mr Ampomah Nkansah is an ‘untouchable being” and so powerful in the Ministry. They contend that although he has been in office for the past 16 years under both NDC and NPP administrations and is still in office, he has achieved nothing apart from continuous punishment of contractors who are perceived NDC faithful.
The petition signed by Joseph Alando and Richard Amattey on behalf of the Concerned Health Oriented Contractors perceived to be NDC Contractors disclosed that Benjamin Ampomah Nkansah with support from the Deputy Chief Architect, Kwame Amponsah, Head of Biomedical Engineering Unit, Dr Nicholas Adjabu Deputy Chief Quantity Surveyor, Sally Esi Pobee and the Principal Quantity Surveyor, Joyce Caroline Enyan ensured that these perceived NDC Health Contractors were blacklisted for the last eight.
The aggrieved contractors stressed that all the Ministry of Health infrastructural projects and that of its agencies as well as all associated contracts, were awarded to only identified NPP contractors whilst perceived NDC contractors were sidelined as it was the norm for the last eight years of the NPP administration.
According to the petition to the President, new health infrastructural projects were deliberately sited at NPP strongholds and areas NPP party wants to unseat sitting NDC MPs as well as non-payment of certificates for work done to contractors who could not be paid before the end of 2016 following the perception of belonging to NDC.
One of the perceived NDC contractors who spoke with 3news reporter noted that for the past eight years of Benjamin Nkansah’s administration, they never realized any progress at the infrastructural directorate of the health sector.
Mr Alando appealed to the President of Ghana to as a matter of seriousness re-evaluate functions of the Infrastructural Directorate and restructure that sector for effective and efficient delivery of service.
He alleged low productivity as square pegs are put in round holes which do not attract the needed potential inflow of business in the health sector and therefore called for quick re-assignment of staff.
Mr. Alando expressed disappointment about how experienced and skillful professional health workers perceived to be NDC affiliates were removed and re-assigned outside the Ministry to favour staff believed to be NPP faithful.
Mr. Alando said they are ever ready to engage authorities at the Presidency on the issues raised in the petition for the accelerated growth of the health sector.
All efforts to reach Mr Benjamin Ampomah Nkansah for his side of the story did not yield fruits. The phone call went through, but he did not respond.
An SMS (Short Message System) message was also sent, but he did not respond and eventually blocked this reporter’s phone number.
