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The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Samuel Atta Mills, has accused the Ministry of Health of engaging in what he described as an “organised crime” over the failure of hundreds of beneficiaries of its car revolving fund to repay their loans.
A total of 596 staff members have reportedly defaulted on their loan obligations, resulting in a cumulative debt of about GH¢10 million. Of this amount, approximately GH¢8 million remains outstanding.
Officials of the Ministry of Health, who appeared before the PAC, disclosed that some beneficiaries had cancelled the standing orders that were intended to facilitate the monthly repayment of their loans.
The officials attributed the repayment difficulties to weaknesses in the Ministry’s internal control systems.
However, Mr Atta Mills rejected the explanation and accused the Ministry of attempting to shift responsibility to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), which had been provided with a list of beneficiaries.
“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 organised that crime?” he asked.
Mr Atta Mills called on the Ministry to establish a dedicated recovery unit or team to retrieve vehicles from beneficiaries who had failed to honour their loan obligations.
“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. Somebody who will stop you in the middle of the highway and take the car away from you because you got it fraudulently,” he said.
He further criticised the Ministry for what he described as a failure to take responsibility for the lapses in the implementation of the car revolving fund.
According to him, institutions involved in administering the scheme should not shift blame for problems arising from its implementation.
“We organise this crime and we blame everybody else while we are the criminals,” he said.