Dr. Richard Selormey, the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), has strongly criticized the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for issuing a stringent 72-hour ultimatum to 91 hospitals, warning them to settle their outstanding bills or face disconnection.
According to Dr. Selormey, the three-day window provided by ECG is insufficient for the hospitals to come up with the combined outstanding amount of GH¢261 million owed to the company. He also questioned the logic behind targeting the healthcare sector, which contributes only 4.5% to ECG’s total debt.
In an interview on JoyNews’ PM Express, Dr. Selormey expressed disbelief, asking, “Why do you want to suck from the healthcare when bigger chunks are waiting?” He emphasized that healthcare facilities cannot realistically pay off their debts within the given ultimatum and warned of the potential consequences if disconnections were to occur.
The hospitals facing potential disconnection include notable institutions such as the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital, Ridge Hospital, Komfo Anokye and Manhyia Government Hospitals, Ho Teaching Hospital, and Kyebi Government Hospital.
Dr. Selormey warned that any disconnections would have significant repercussions for patient care and called on ECG to engage in further discussions with stakeholders, urging the company to reconsider its ultimatum.
He emphasized the need for transparency in healthcare costs and suggested openly discussing cost-sharing measures with the public if the government cannot fully cover these expenses.
Dr. Selormey concluded by stating that any disconnections would be met with a unified response from the healthcare sector, with close observation of the consequences.