Controversial undercover investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has hit the screens with another controversial undercover investigative story on the supposed corrupt sale of Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).
Entitled, “Cashing In On COVID” the video sought to paint some staff of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, as crooks who have been selling PPEs badly needed by doctors and medical staff to the public.
However, in the part of the video that Whatsup News has seen, the video woefully fails to convince that Thomas Osei, a Hospital Pharmacy worker named as one of the nefarious characters in the videos had indeed been corrupt.
This is because even though Anas narrates that the PPE he was selling to the public “in the open glare of the public,” within the hospital is supposed to be reserved for doctors and medical staff, the video also confirms the inspection of receipts from Mr. Osei that shows he bought the stuff he is selling with his own money.
How a pharmacy staff has used his own money to buy PPEs to sell shows he is “wicked’ and “callous” appears to be something that Anas will have to clarify further.
The part of the video story that Whatsup News has seen opens with the burial of an unnamed person that Anas’ voice in the background explains was the first Ghanaian doctor to die of Covid-19.
Then it tells of how the Greater Accra Regional Hospital is “ground zero” for the coronavirus disease.
The narrator talks of how PPEs are in short supply at the hospital and how he and his team of investigators have received multiple reports of how a “clandestine network” of some hospital staff had taken to selling PPEs meant for the hospital.
Enters, Thomas Osei, whom Anas names as the first villain. According to the investigative journalists, multiple reports that Osei has been selling PPEs were confirmed by his team. “…We soon confirmed these reports, filming Thomas sell multiple loads of PPEs inside the hospital.”
A shrewd Mr. Osei, allegedly sold Protective coveralls for Ghc600 or US$105 on another day, nine sets of coveralls. “And then, he sold us multiple face shields, equipment that medical workers have been crying out for. The total bill came to US$450.”
The characterization of Thomas Osei as a “callous” and “wicked” villain is effective until Anas confronts the man over the crime, and then the whole character sketch collapses because Mr. Osei confirms he is selling PPEs but that these are PPEs that he buys with his own money.
An interview with one of the suppliers of Osei’s PPEs is inserted and Patience Tsegah, CEO of Unicom Chemist Limited confirms selling PPEs to Osei but that she thought the PPEs were for doctors of the Ridge Hospital and not for Osei to sell it to private people.
Anas’ video is unable to show that Osei would not have sold his PPEs to the government if the government had approached it