By Ashiadey Dotse
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Samuel Atta Mills, has accused the Ministry of Health of running an “organised crime” scheme over the failure of 596 staff to repay loans obtained under its car revolving fund.
Staff members reportedly owe about GH¢10 million, with approximately GH¢8 million still outstanding.
Officials of the Ministry of Health told the PAC that some beneficiaries had cancelled standing orders that were set up to deduct their monthly loan repayments.
They blamed the repayment challenges on weaknesses in the Ministry’s internal control systems adding that the ministry has submitted a list of defaulters to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) for action.
Mr. Atta Mills rejected the explanation and accused the Ministry of shifting responsibility to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
“You are passing the buck. You’ve given the list to the DVLA. Was it DVLA who gave them those cars? Was it DVLA who organized that crime?” he asked.
The Ranking Member called on the Ministry to establish a dedicated recovery team to retrieve vehicles from beneficiaries who had defaulted on their loan repayments.
He said the team should be given the responsibility of identifying defaulters and recovering vehicles obtained under the scheme.
“What you need to do is to have a recovery unit. A recovery unit or a recovery team who will go and collect all these cars,” he said.
Mr. Atta Mills also criticized the Ministry for failing to take responsibility for the repayment crisis.
He said institutions involved in the car revolving fund should address their own failures instead of shifting blame to other agencies.
“We organize this crime and we blame everybody else while we are the criminals,” he said.
The PAC is expected to further examine the management of the car revolving fund and the measures being taken by the Ministry of Health to recover the outstanding debt.
