Korle-Bu has more money than my ministry, they should pay their own bills – Power Minister charges

Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor says all tertiary institutions and hospitals must pay their electricity bills to ease pressure on government.

Dr Kwabena Donkor stated that these institutions generate huge funds and must be made to pay electricity from these funds.

His position contrasts that of the Education Ministry where the  Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has stated that government will continue to bear the cost of utilities in country’s educational centres.

Just this week, Vice-Chancellors of Ghana informed various student leadership groups across the country that students in public
institutions would be made to pay for electricity and water they use on campus.

SRC Presidents of various tertiary institutions revisited the issue on Tuesday, November 3 after Vice Chancellors of various institutions told them that the schools would be closed down if government or students failed to pay utility fees.

But Mr. Ablakwa told Joy News on Tuesday that government’s position on absorbing the utilities on campuses of public universities has not changed.

He says a meeting would be held to resolve the issue and come out with clear guidelines on the matter.
Prior to the meeting, Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor told Joy News’ Beatrice Adu that hospitals and tertiary institutions must be made to pay their bills.

“What do they use the halls for? Don’t they rent them out? Are they not taking money? Are they not generating huge Internally Generated Funds (IGF)? The question we should be asking what do they use these IGFs for?” he quizzed.

Dr Kwabena Donkor added that the internal generated funds of Korle-Bu teaching Hospital is bigger than the Power Ministry’s annual budget and must be able to pay electricity bills.

“Is a fac…Korle-Bu’s IGF is bigger than my ministry’s budget… why shouldn’t they pay for electricity? Yes. Government pays all the salaries of their staff, both government and mission hospitals,” the minister added.

He however said there is a different methodology for the hospitals, stating that the Ministry of Finance will pay for critical facilities like the wards, laboratories and theatres and morgues in government and mission Hospitals.