The president has called meeting to discuss a petition signed by 17 surgeons at the centre who are not seeing any new patients until further notice.
Prof. Frimpong Boateng received his dismissal letter signed by Health Minister, Joseph Yieleh Chireh Thursday last week while the president was out of the country.
“We refer to letter no.: DMS/A450 dated 22 June, 2000, offering you appointment as the Honorary Director in Charge of the National Cardiothoracic Centre. In view of your transfer from the Ministry of Health to the University of Ghana Medical School, your appointment as Honorary Director in Charge of the Cardiothoracic Centre has been terminated with immediate effect. We take this opportunity to thank you for the services rendered to the Cardiothoracic Centre and also wish you well in your future endeavours,” read portions of the dismissal letter.
Prof. Frimpong Boateng said he left the office exactly two hours after receiving the letter because it stated categorically that his dismissal took immediate effect.
Asked whether he was able to find out the reason for his sack, he responded “No, I didn’t because the letter was clear that the decision took immediate effect so I had to comply with the directives of the honourable minister.”
Sounding his usual calm, he added, “I believe that whatever decision the minister takes should be in the interest of Ghana and the health services in general so that is how I see it.”
But there have been outpouring of condemnation of the manner in which the man under whose tutelage the center was founded, nurtured, and earned international reputation as one of only two cardio centres functioning properly in Africa – the other being that of South Africa – was relieved of his duties.
A former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Prof. Ahyemang Badu Akosa, told Joy FM’s Super Morning Show he will be writing a letter to the Ghana Medical Association to take the matter up.
He said the minister’s justification for the dismissal, that “In view of Prof. Frimpong Boateng’s transfer from the Ministry of Health to the University of Ghana Medical School” is a rather moot argument.
He said there was no conflict between working at the University of Ghana Medical School which is under the Ministry of Education and performing surgical functions at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
Prof. Akosa said he wished he didn’t have to think the minister’s decision was politically motivated.
A former Minister of Health, Dr Richard Anane, said he was disturbed by the turn of events because plans were in the works for Prof. Frimpong Boateng to leave the hospital.
He said he was at a loss as to why the minister will take such a decision when he was aware that Prof. Boateng was putting measures in place to ensure the leadership of the place transitioned smoothly.
The General Secretary of the GMA, Dr Sodzi Sodzi Tetteh, said the association will state its position on the matter after apprising itself of the full details.
He however added it was a matter of grave concern for the GMA for a world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon like Prof. Frimpong Boateng to just be sacked like that without sufficient explanation.
Deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa will not tell whether the Health Minister received the president’s blessings before firing the renowned heart surgeon.
“I’m sure we can study all of these things in the future. For now our focus is to call for restraint and calm and to ask that all of us wait for the president’s intervention in this matter,” he added.
Mr Ablakwa said the government was concerned with the development and was determined to see to a quick resolution of the matter.