Information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicates that the Elubo Health Centre in the Jomoro District of the Western Region has been disconnected by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) due to outstanding bill arrears running into hundreds of Ghana cedis.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the move by ECG was part of the disconnection exercise to clamp down on institutions that default on their bills.
The disconnection, according to sources, has adversely affected some departments of the health centre, with exception of the area with certain critical facilities which was spared.
Sources say the authorities of the health centre are seriously in negotiations with ECG to restore power to the facility.
Confirming the story to journalists, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of ECG, Philip Osei Bonsu, indicated that the health facility owes the company to the tune of GH¢42,306.06.
He explained that the figure was the accumulated debt from 2014 when the government weaned itself from the payment of utility bills for some state institutions and agencies.
“The Elubo Health Centre has two meters. One is dedicated to the administration block and staff bungalow; whilst the other is dedicated to the maternity ward and other critical facilities at the centre,” he indicated.
He stated, “It is the meter supplying power to the administration block and staff bungalow that we have disconnected. The debt on this meter is GH¢15,499.35.
We had to spare the meter with the critical facilities in order to honour a directive from government in 2014. The debt on this meter, however, stands at GH¢26,806.71 from 2014.”
Osei Bonsu stressed that until an agreed payment plan is reached, the administration block and staff bungalow of the Elubo Health Centre will still be without power.
Meanwhile, the Sekondi Sports Stadium at Essipong in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis has also been without electricity for close to two years.
The stadium was disconnected somewhere in December 2014 over debts it owed the ECG, amounting to about GH¢398,871.97.
The regional ECG PRO explained that as a result of the situation, there could not be any sporting activities at night at the stadium.
He could not fathom why managers of the stadium for over two years were yet to reach a payment plan.
It would be recalled that the main campus of the Takoradi Polytechnic (T-Poly) was recently disconnected from the national grid due to outstanding arrears, running into several hundreds of Ghana cedis.
The disconnection affected many parts of the campus, including the main administration block and the various departments, leaving the two main halls of residence and the staff bungalows which use prepaid meters.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi