adminA 21-year-old Bulawayo woman has allegedly been detained at Mpilo Central Hospital after failing to settle a bill of $234. A relative of Yvonne Moyo who refused to be named said they were surprised to learn that the hospital was detaining her.
“Yvonne was admitted last week, after a week she was certified fit and I came to take her. I was told by a nurse to go and get billed at the accounts office and I did that. I then went back to the ward but was told I had to clear the bill before she could be discharged,” said the woman.
“I could not believe it, I did not know that this was the new rule, they told me that sizabamba umuntu lize libhadale (we will keep her until you pay). I told them the money to pay for the bill will only be available when tenants pay rentals and I do not know when they will pay because these days life is tough, some may not pay at the end of the month,” she said.
Sources say a number of people are languishing at Mpilo as they have not settled their bills, a claim that the hospital officials, however, dismissed.
“We are not holding on to patients over non-payment, if that was the case we would have a full hospital with those that will not have paid. What we are doing is encouraging people to settle their debts,” said the acting chief executive officer, Mr Leonard Mabandi.
He said they were having challenges of following up patients once they are discharged. He said the hospital was owed more than $15 million by people who have not settled their bills. Mr Mabandi said the institution once hired debt collectors but still failed to recover much of the money.
The chairman for Bulawayo United Residents Association (Bura), Mr Winnos Dube, said the hospital authorities have to analyse the challenges that patients have.
“Illness does not announce when it will come so at times you fall ill and you do not have money so hospitals should have a payment plan with their patients, not to detain them,” he said.
Online Reporter