Contractor throws out nurses, locks up CHPS compound over GH¢143k debt

By:brightwebtv.com/Martin awuku

A Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound at Dwere, a farming community in the Kintampo North Municipality of the Bono East region has been locked up by a building contractor and nurses operating from it thrown out over a raging confusion between him [contractor] and the local assembly, MyNewsGh.comreports.

The contractor, Construction and Development Support (CDS) Ghana Limited says, the move is to compel the Kintampo North Municipal Assembly to pay an outstanding balance of GH¢ 143,000 which has been in arrears for more than two years despite after the completion of the project.
She revealed that several  warnings issued to the MCE to ensure that that the amount was paid last week was not adhered to and therefore had to lock up the facility to compel the assembly honour its part of the bargain.
Over 3,000 farmers in the community and its neighbouring villages who source their healthcare from the facility would now have to trek for more than 23 miles to Kintampo, the capital for medical attention if it’s not reopened anytime soon.
Some of the residents of the community, looked on helplessly while others knelt down to beg the contractor who had stormed the village with chains and padlocks to lock up the facility on Independence Day, MyNewsGh.com confirmed.

Project Consultant, Lily Akyaamaa when reached by MyNewsGh.com, blamed the Municipal Chief Executive for Kintampo North, Michael Sarkodie Baffoe of deliberately failing to pay for the project after taking credit for its completion in 2017, few months after he took office.

Checks at the assembly revealed that, the project was begun by the previous government, abandoned halfway due to lack of funds, until the current MCE negotiated with the contractor to prefinance its completion.
He has since failed to honor payments as agreed claiming the assembly has misplaced its records on the contract and could only effect payment when they are found.
The contractor has since lodged a formal complaint with the Kintampo Divisional Police Commander, ACP J.A. Gyawu over the conduct of Hon. Sarkodie Baffoe.
As at the time of filing this story, the facility remained closed with all health professionals evicted.

The locals who benefit from the facility have therefore called on government to resolve the issue expeditiously, since the facility is their only source of healthcare and its closure will bring dire and deadly consequences on them.

Source:MyNewsGh.com/