PAC demands documents for GH₵802,725 Kwanyako CHPS compound project
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
The Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Abena Osei-Asare, has directed the Ministry of Health to provide supporting documents for a payment of GHS802,725 made towards the proposed construction of a Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound at Kwanyako in the Asuogyaman District.
Raising the issue during a PAC sitting in Accra on Monday, 29 September, Madam Osei-Asare questioned why such a significant capital expenditure was not backed by documentation when reviewed by the Auditor-General.
“This is a capital expenditure item. Before you make any payment on capital expenditure, you need to attach the relevant documents necessary for the payments to go through,” she stressed.
Ms Osei-Asare further described the absence of receipts or supporting documents for the transaction as unacceptable, warning that such practices undermine transparency and accountability in public spending.
“It is a must that when you make payments, you get your receipt to show proof of payment. When auditors come, especially for a capital expenditure item, you should have all the relevant documents present,” she stressed.
Responding to the Committee, Daniel Nsiah from the Financial Reporting and Monitoring Department of the Ministry of Health attributed the situation to the government’s electronic payment platform, GIFMIS.
He explained that although GIFMIS is designed to minimise human intervention in financial transactions, it does not automatically generate traditional receipts.
“When the auditors come and you show them the swift advice, they don’t accept it as a receipt,” Mr Nsiah said.
He admitted that while the payment was processed through the treasury system, the Ministry failed to collect a receipt from the supplier or contractor at the time of payment.
Mr Nsiah assured the Committee that efforts are now underway to retrieve the necessary documentation.
“In this case, we have to call on them [the contractor] to submit the receipt,” he noted.
The issue emerged during PAC’s review of the Auditor-General’s report, which flagged the transaction as an unsupported payment due to the absence of documentation.
The construction of CHPS compounds remains a key government initiative to expand healthcare access in rural communities.
However, Ms Osei-Asare emphasised that regardless of the project’s urgency or importance, all public expenditure must strictly adhere to proper documentation protocols.
