The BA Regional Hospital
Medical Director in-charge of the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital, Dr Jacob Abebrese, has stated categorically that all patients who visit the medical facility need to pay for all medical consumables like gloves, cotton wool, drugs, doctors’ gloves and other materials used on them before they will be cared for.
Dr Abebrese disclosed this on Moonlight FM, a local radio station in the region last Friday morning in an interview after a National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency Vice Chairman for Sunyani West, Johnson Nketia, accused him of intentionally running down the hospital.
On the same radio station, Mr Nketia mentioned that “the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is not working at the hospital.”
Relatives and friends of patients who recently visited the hospital also corroborated the story, pointing out that cash-and-carry is now the order of the day at the regional hospital.
Cash & Carry
Responding to the callers’ worry, the medical director disclosed that they were operating a cash-and-carry system in the hospital, “but this is not based on my personal decision, but management decision.”
He stated that the hospital has to rely on its internally generated fund to run the hospital since reimbursement from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) does not come on time or had run into arrears for about four to five months now.
Dr Abebrese stressed that the only option they were left with was to reintroduce the cash-and-carry system, saying that about 96.6 percent OPD cases to the hospital hold NHIS cards and if reimbursement doesn’t come early, patients have to pay to receive medical care.
According to him, the practice is not limited to only the B/A Regional Hospital but all hospitals across the nation, mentioning that the B/A Regional Hospital “is even doing better”.
He said to ensure patients get drugs for medication, especially during the night when all pharmacies in town have closed, individual health workers at the hospital, including doctors, nurses and pharmacies decided to contribute to set up what they called a ‘special pharmacy’ at the hospital to enable patients to buy drugs from there.
According to him, he is only asked to think outside-the-box anytime the hospital makes request for funds.
He asked all and sundry who visit the hospital to seek medical services to prepare because they will be asked to pay for everything that is required of them, cautioning outpatients to demand for receipts in order not to be exploited by bad health workers.
From Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani