Medical Kalabule: Ministry of Health to set up probe committee, The Fourth Estate pledges support

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced that it’s in the process of constituting an investigative committee to examine allegations of patient exploitation and unprofessional conduct at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, also known as Ridge Hospital.

The statement follows an investigative report by The Fourth Estate titled “Medical Kalabule: Inside Ridge Hospital’s Prescription Scam [Part one]” which exposed how the prescription system meant to heal patients has become a tool of exploitation.

In a press statement issued on Monday, the Ministry expressed sympathy with patients and relatives who may have been subjected to any form of unprofessional conduct in health facilities across the country, reiterating the government’s commitment to reducing the stress and financial burden patients face in accessing healthcare.

The statement further noted that the Ministry was “deeply concerned and surprised” by some of the revelations contained in the investigation, describing the issues raised as serious and deserving of thorough examination.

“Accordingly, the Ministry of Health is in the process of constituting an investigative committee to look into the matter,” the statement said.

The committee, according to the Ministry, is expected to submit its findings within fourteen (14) working days to the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.

The Ministry also said it expects the full cooperation of all relevant stakeholders, including The Fourth Estate, to help unravel the facts and provide additional details necessary to ensure accountability and improve service delivery within the health system.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the organisation that runs The Fourth Estate project, Sulemana Braimah, has welcomed the Ministry’s decision and pledged the organisation’s support for the probe.

Mr Braimah said MFWA remains “committed” to assisting the investigative committee to get to the bottom of the issues raised in the report, stressing that the investigation was conducted in the public interest and aimed at improving healthcare delivery and accountability.

The Fourth Estate investigation documented how patients receiving care at Ridge Hospital were allegedly exposed to systemic practices that imposed additional financial burdens, leaving accountability questions within one of the country’s premier public health facilities.