adminLoveness Bepete Chronicle Reporter
MPILO Central Hospital in Bulawayo is owed more than $10 million by patients, a development that has left the health institution struggling to purchase drugs and food for those hospitalised, an official revealed yesterday. The hospital’s Clinical Director, Dr Wedu Ndebele, said patients’ failure to settle their medical bills had worsened the institution’s financial position as funding from the Government was inadequate.
Dr Ndebele said the hospital’s efforts to engage debt collectors have not been effective as some of the debtors are still not moved by the action.
“We’ve tried to engage debt collectors so as to recover this debt but still the response we get from our clients isn’t encouraging at all,” he said.
Dr Ndebele said it was difficult for the hospital to provide quality service when people are not paying for services.
“It’s hard for the institution to replace drugs that would have been used by other patients as some of them fail to settle their bills on time. How does one expect the hospital to have all sorts of drugs when they actually owe us? It’s impossible,” he said.
The shortage of funds had not only affected the availability of drugs but also the purchasing of food.
Dr Ndebele said the hospital was left with no option but to ask patients to buy prescribed drugs elsewhere as they would be out of stock at Mpilo Central Hospital.
He described drug shortages as perennial as on any given day a drug of one kind or the other would not be there on the shelves.
“As long as our funding is like this and patients don’t pay they will have to buy the unavailable medication for themselves,” Dr Ndebele added.
Due to the precarious nature of the hospital’s finances, some service providers are now reluctant to deal with the institution while others demand cash up-front.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu