A 46-year-old medical practitioner, Dr. Francis Ibrahim Betonsi, who claims he was wrongfully dismissed by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in 2012 and later reinstated in 2018 is appealing to the National Labour Commission (NLC) to prevail upon the GHS to pay him his six years compensation package and contributions to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
Dr. Betonsi, was indefinitely suspended at the Effia Nkwanta Regional hospital in the Western Region for refusing a psychiatric assessment and treatment of possible delusional condition by a Medical Board after numerous psychiatric evaluations cleared him of any mental disorder as alleged by management of the hospital.
Dr. Betonsi, pursued the matter at the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the National Labour Commission (NLC) and subsequently on November 11, 2018, the Ghana Health Service re-engaged him and posted Dr. Betonsi to the Upper East Regional hospital.
But speaking to Citi News, Dr. Betonsi, said, the wrongful dismissal has affected his promotions, SSNIT contributions and outstanding salary payments for six years and thus is calling on the NLC to prevail in getting his compensation paid by his employer, the GHS.
Dr. Betonsi, fears his life would be miserable with dire consequences if he is not paid all outstanding compensation and SSNIT contributions for the period of his wrongful dismissal.
“The Ghana Health Service had done the wrong thing, right? If you are recalling me back to work, you don’t re-engage me without compensation. You re-instate me with compensation once you admitted fault. They have in many ways admitted fault because the then Health Minister and now Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin who later admitted he got to know the true version of the issue later apologized to me that they were wrong. So why are they sitting on the money? They should pay me my compensation.”
“My life has been messed up completely, I have lost everything economically, socially and professionally. At my age (Mid-40) I will go on retirement very soon, and I don’t know what I will be doing with my life. And this compensation is about my life, I am so frustrated and depressed if I look at the quantum of damage caused me and so the only consolation is to get my compensation paid to me. All that I want is my compensation, that’s my six years’ salary, SSNIT contributions and my right to promotions and any other compensation that’s deemed fit for what they (GHS) have caused me.”
Dr. Betonsi, added that, although he was working hard in addressing the health needs of patients at his current facility that’s the Upper East Regional hospital, he could have done far better if his compensation was paid.
He further described the actions of the GHS for his dismissal on the basis of alleged mental disorder as a breach of the Labour Act.
