A HEALTH worker at Shinyanga Regional Referral Hospital, Paul Ngassa (57) was arrested yesterday for allegedly soliciting bribes from patients.
The incident occurred yesterday at around 1pm after the medical practitioner solicited 40,000/- in bribe from Edward Tindi, a patient from Bubale village in Shinyanga Rural District, before he treated him.
The patient had a stomach complication and he was lined-up for surgery, but Ngassa allegedly asked him to offer him the said amount before the treatment.
Gasto Mkono, an official of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) in Shinyanga Region, said the patient reported the matter to the bureau and “we had to set up a trap and finally the suspect was nabbed when receiving the 40,000/-.”
The patient was earlier asked to provide 50,000/- so that he could undergo the surgery, he said, adding, “but was only ready to offer 20,000/-. It was then that he decided to involve us and we topped the amount and set the trap.”
He however said that the health worker was expected to be taken to court today to answer the charge leveled against him.
Shinyanga Regional Medical Officer Dr Ntuli Kapologwe, confirming the arrest of the health worker for bribery, said her office had fired him from the job.
Expressing his disappointment on the action done by the health worker, Dr Kapologwe said: “We have been warning health workers not to involve themselves in corruption as it’s against medical ethics.”
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN