Are We Looking for Competence or Political Colouration?

Last Monday, May 15, 2017, news broke out that the Ministry of Health had sent a letter to Dr Thomas Anaba, Director of the Ridge Hospital, instructing him to handover to the Public Services Commission, three years short of the expiration of his tenure.

Even though no reasons were assigned for the decision, the letter stated that the directive was from the Health Minister, Mr. Kwaku Agyemang Manu.

The letter subsequently appointed Dr. Anaba's predecessor, Emmanuel Kwabla Srofenyoh, to take over from him.

Dr. Anaba has, however, vowed not to relinquish his post as directed in the letter, instead, he has ordered his lawyers to begin the process of dragging the Ministry of Health to court.

It is startling how new governments in Ghana, soon after taking over power, terminate the appointments of hardworking Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) or heads of key and strategic institutions in the country.

The Chronicle believes that this attitude of our political leaders would have very dire consequences on the administration of such institutions and corporations, and, by extension, corporate Ghana.

As a matter of fact, both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are guilty of the offence, and the earlier something is done about it, the better it will be for all of us.

As a people, we must understand that key and strategic institutions in the country require the services of competent and hardworking people, who have what it takes to turn their fortunes around, and not political affiliations.

When the NPP won the 2000 general elections, under the leadership of Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor, CEOs and heads of key and strategic institutions in the country were relieved off their positions, and replaced with known NPP loyalists.

Similarly, after the NDC won power in 2009, the party, under the late President John Evans Atta Mills (may his gentle soul rest in perfect peace) all CEOs and heads of such institutions, including Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, were fired.

This was a man (Prof Frimpong-Boateng), a Ghanaian physician and cardiothoracic surgeon, who established the National Cardiothoracic Center and Ghana Red Cross Society.

He was also the President of the Ghana Heart Foundation and Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.

The hardworking surgeon, who studied physics and mathematics to initially become an engineer, had to become a doctor to be able to help people who sustain heart injuries due to road traffic accidents, as happened to his father.

After finishing his post-graduate studies, instead of staying abroad to make money for himself, he returned to Ghana to practice as the first locally-based cardiothoracic surgeon, when there were no cardiothoracic surgery facilities in the country at the time.

When the NDC won power, they vilified, humiliated and eventually fired him from the facility he created and loved as his baby, and replaced him, because he did not belong to the newly-elected party.

Eight years on, when the NPP took over the reins of power, Dr Thomas Anaba was instructed to handover to the Public Services Commission, even though he still has three more years to end his tenure of office.

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