By Noela Ebob Bisong
The Director of the Limbe Regional Hospital, Dr Denis Nsame Nforniwe has revealed that the Limbe Regional Hospital under his leadership does not hold patients hostage, for not paying their medical bills.
Dr Nsame was reacting to The Sun, following the recent authorization of the Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie, ordering the administration of all public hospitals in Cameroon to let go patients who can’t pay their hospital expenses.
The unfortunate situation had become the order of the day in some hospitals across the country, which has gone on to draw the sympathy of Minister Manaouda, who in a recent communiqué called on all public hospital directors to see to its strict implementation.
According to the director of Limbe Regional Hospital, Dr Denis Nsame Nforniwe, though the hospital, out of human sympathy does not hold patients hostage until they pay their bills, as is the case in other hospitals, yet, they are at the losing end.
This he explained is due to the fact that the hospital is incurring huge losses to that respect, amounting, for example, to FCFA 12million last year. Dr Nsame told The Sun that their priority at the Limbe Regional Hospital is to concentrate and attend to all patients, especially emergency cases, before talking money. “Some are paupers, and the social welfare service attends to them, but others who are not paupers are dishonest and after leaving the hospital to go in search of finances to settle their medical bills, never return. The hospital is incurring huge losses, for example last year unpaid medical bills amounted to at least FCFA 12 million”.
The director also explained that Health Insurance is a necessity, but says unfortunately, a great majority of the population is not health insured.
He maintained the initiative of the Minister of Health to free all indebted patients is a good one, as it addresses the plight of the less privilege in society, and he said the reason why there are no patients being held hostage in the Limbe Regional Hospital is because they consider the hospital a welfare service to the public. However, he appealed to the consciences of all, especially those viable, to always settle their medical bills.
Dr Nsame equally appreciated the effort of institutions such as the BEFA of the Catholic Church, which is a fund set aside to cater for hospital bills of its stakeholders, and said it’s quite encouraging and called on others to emulate.
In Cameroon, a great majority of patients pay their bills directly when admitted in hospitals, while a few pay through various insurance schemes. The insurance schemes are basically in two forms; customers pay first and are reimbursed by the insurance company later or they fill an insurance form through which the insurance company takes care of their bills. However, most insurance companies limit their health coverage, not covering cases such as organ transplants, due to the high cost.
It should be noted however that some hospitals complain of the non-payment of hospital bills by some insurance companies.