Accra: The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has made progress in recovering unearned salaries paid to some of its staff, a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) public hearing has revealed.

According to Ghana News Agency, the Director-General, Professor Kaba Akoriyea, stated that the service had recovered a total of GHS10,900 from four individuals. This includes GHS2,445 from Mr. Daniel Boateng and GHS3,000 from Madam Elizabeth Nsiah, with an additional GHS5,455 recovered from two other staff members.

Professor Akoriyea made the announcement during his appearance before the PAC at Parliament House. He emphasized the efforts of the GHS to strengthen its staff validation process to prevent future cases of unearned salary payments. The service has revised its validation process to include monthly checks to identify absent staff members. It also plans to engage guarantors and families of staff who vacate posts after study leave to ensure refunds.

The PAC reconvened on September 29 to continue its public hearings aimed at reviewing the Auditor-General’s report for the year ending December 31, 2024. The committee will scrutinize various government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for alleged financial irregularities from Monday to Wednesday, October 1.

Ministries appearing before the committee include the Ghana Statistical Service, Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Ministry for the Interior, Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Department, and the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs. Additionally, the Ministry of Sports and Recreation, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Art, Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, Ministry of Environment, Science, and Technology, and the Ministry of Transport will be scrutinized.

The PAC’s review of the Auditor-General’s report underscores the committee’s commitment to ensuring accountability and transparency in government financial dealings. The committee has noted these recoveries and has given the validation officer 90 days to pay the unrecovered sum of unearned salaries totaling GHS21,445, which was paid to staff in 2023.