Korle Bu under scrutiny over GH₵14m salary breach
The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital is facing intense scrutiny following revelations that it paid unauthorised salaries amounting to GHS14 million over a 13-month period, in breach of Ghana’s financial laws.
The payments, made from the hospital’s internally generated funds between 2022 and 2024, were flagged in the latest report by the Auditor-General.
The report cited violations of the Public Financial Management Act and ordered the hospital to immediately halt such irregular expenditures.
The matter surfaced on Monday, 29 September, during a public sitting of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Accra.
The Committee reconvened to examine financial irregularities across ministries, departments and agencies for the year ending 31 December 2024. Hearings are scheduled to continue until 1 October.
Institutions appearing before the PAC include the Ghana Statistical Service, Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Ministry for the Interior, Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Department, and the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
Others include the ministries of Sports and Recreation, Food and Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Environment, Science and Technology, and Transport.
Korle Bu’s financial dealings have sparked further concern following two separate cases of negligence that led to judgment debt payments totalling GHS113,500. One case involved a fatal overdose administered to a patient, while the other centred on a wrongful swap of mortal remains.
Both incidents were attributed to hospital personnel. The Auditor-General has directed the facility to recover the judgment debt.
The findings have reignited public debate about accountability in the health sector and the misuse of public funds. Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson stressed the importance of transparency in financial governance, stating that his ministry is working to strengthen compliance and recover unauthorised payments.
He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eliminating ghost names from payroll systems and closing loopholes that undermine public financial management.
The PAC’s work, he said, reflects a firm resolve to protect taxpayer funds and uphold integrity across state institutions.
