By Kebba AF Touray
The management of Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) came under sharp scrutiny on Tuesday as members of the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) pressed for answers over more than D1.8 million in call allowances paid to unqualified staff, in what the National Audit Office (NAO) described as suspected fraudulent payments.
The confrontation came just weeks after the NAO released a damning special audit report, dated April 29, 2025, which examined the hospital’s financial records from January 1, 2021, to April 30, 2024. The audit revealed that staff outside approved categories—including Housing Officers and certain administrative staff—had received monthly call allowances, which are typically reserved for medical personnel such as Medical Officers, Registrars, and Senior Registrars.
According to the report, the total sum paid irregularly amounted to D1,805,500. The NAO recommended immediate recovery of these funds by EFSTH and requested evidence of recovery efforts.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Chief Medical Director Dr. Mustapha Bittaye told the committee that the hospital initially halted all call allowance payments except those made to Mr. Malang G. Ndong. Dr. Bittaye said EFSTH justified the continued payment to Mr. Ndong to the auditors, though this justification was challenged.
Hon. Alhagie S. Darboe, the FPAC chairperson, interrupted to assert that the auditors must independently verify the legitimacy of any continued payments. “This has to be confirmed by the auditor,” he said, referring to Mr. Ndong’s case.
Dr. Bittaye informed the committee that the hospital had started recovering the irregular payments, but later halted the process upon learning that the police were conducting a parallel recovery effort. “Two entities cannot be doing the same recovery,” he argued, noting that the same audit findings had been submitted to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who had initiated repayment requests directly with the affected individuals.
But Hon. Darboe rejected this approach, stating, “The IGP cannot do the recovery plan. It is the hospital that should do the plan, and based on that planning, recovery can take effect.” He demanded clarity on how the police had taken up the task, to which Dr. Bittaye responded, “They called these people [defaulters] and then asked them to pay.”
The NAO maintained its position, stating that Mr. Ndong, despite being on staff, was not practicing and therefore not eligible for call allowances. The auditors said the hospital board had concurred with their recommendation during a prior meeting.
Following intense exchanges between EFSTH management and audit officials, the committee concluded that the payments were indeed unjustified. “The payment is not applicable to EFSTH,” Hon. Darboe ruled. “The payment to Mr. Ndong should be stopped. The initial payments that he benefited from should also be recovered, including the additional two months paid.”
The committee has adjourned further consideration of the report to a later date, pending updates on the recovery process.
