The management of the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) in the Northern Region is under scrutiny after revelations that the facility continued paying the salary of a deceased staff member for more than two years.
Findings from the latest Auditor-General’s report revealed that the hospital disbursed salaries to the late employee for 26 months after his death, costing the state thousands of Ghana cedis.
The report described the lapse as a violation of financial management regulations, noting that the hospital’s failure to promptly remove the employee’s name from the government payroll highlighted weak internal controls.
This was disclosed during a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sitting in Parliament, where the hospital’s management appeared before the committee.
The Auditor-General’s report flagged unearned salaries amounting to GH¢1,449,000, which included payments made to the deceased staff member.
The revelation sparked outrage among committee members during the sitting in Accra on Monday, September 29.
TTH’s Director of Administration, Dr Emmanuel Sena Kwasi Donkor, confirmed before the committee that only a portion of the funds—GH¢303,558.68, about 21 per cent of the total — had so far been recovered.
“We were able to recover some amounts. Before we got here, we had received letters from some banks stating that they had stopped transferring the funds to the government chest,” Dr Donkor explained.
He appealed to Parliament for support in retrieving the outstanding money.
“Maybe at the end of this session, we will make a prayer to this House for the House to make an order directing those banks to transfer,” he said.
Dr. Donkor further disclosed that the case had been referred to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for action.
“EOCO has written back requesting the files of the people involved, and we have submitted them,” he added.
Despite these assurances, PAC members expressed dissatisfaction with how the hospital handled the matter, warning that mismanagement of public funds would not be tolerated.
“You validated and paid a dead man for 26 months. Didn’t you go to his funeral?”
—Management of Tamale Teaching Hospital questioned at the public accounts committee. pic.twitter.com/ouSdL34JvG
— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) September 29, 2025
