Management of the Apam Catholic Hospital in the Gomoa West District of the Central Region has raised alarm over the increasing number of discharged patients who allegedly abscond from the facility without paying their medical bills, describing the situation as a major threat to the hospital’s operations and service delivery.
According to hospital authorities, the worrying trend is gradually placing a heavy financial burden on the facility and affecting its ability to provide quality healthcare to residents within the district and surrounding communities.
Speaking in an interview with the media, the Nursing Manager of the hospital, Theodora Bonney Abbey, disclosed that several patients who are discharged from the facility often seek permission to leave the hospital premises under the pretext of buying food or attending to personal matters.
Theodora Bonney Abbey, Nursing Manager, Apam Catholic Hospital
She explained that instead of returning to complete the discharge process and settle their outstanding medical bills, some of the patients allegedly flee to their homes and fail to return.
According to Madam Abbey, despite directives from management to strengthen monitoring systems and tighten security around the hospital to prevent discharged patients from leaving without payment, some still manage to escape unnoticed.
She appealed to patients and their relatives to cooperate with hospital authorities by honouring their financial obligations, stressing that unpaid bills continue to negatively affect the hospital’s finances and operations.
Madam Abbey noted that the non-payment of medical bills limits the hospital’s ability to procure essential medicines, maintain vital medical equipment, and improve healthcare delivery for patients.
The Nursing Manager further revealed that the hospital is also battling serious operational and infrastructural challenges, particularly with unstable electricity supply.
According to her, the facility had for years relied on electricity from a community transformer because it did not have a dedicated transformer of its own.
She indicated that the erratic power supply had caused damage to several essential medical equipment, including incubators used in caring for premature and newborn babies.
Madam Abbey also highlighted the hospital’s coastal location as another major challenge confronting management.
She explained that the salty sea breeze in the area causes rapid corrosion and rusting of metal hospital equipment and infrastructure, leading to frequent damage and costly repairs.
To address the problem, she said the hospital increasingly requires plastic-based medical equipment and fittings that are more resistant to corrosion caused by the coastal environment.
She therefore appealed to the government, corporate organisations, philanthropists, and other stakeholders to support the hospital with modern medical equipment, logistics, and improved infrastructure to enhance healthcare delivery in the Gomoa West District.
Her appeal came during a ceremony at the hospital where the Deputy Minister for Energy and Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, Richard Gyan Mensah, donated a transformer and streetlights to the facility to improve its electricity supply.
Addressing the gathering, Hon. Richard Gyan Mensah stated that his vision is to ensure that every community within the Gomoa West Constituency benefits from reliable electricity and improved public lighting.
According to the MP, the donation forms part of his “Light Up Gomoa West” initiative, under which more than 70 communities across the constituency are expected to benefit from streetlights and other electricity-related projects.
He explained that the initiative is aimed at improving security, supporting local businesses, and enhancing the overall appearance of communities within the district.
Hon. Richard Gyan Mensah further stated that transforming Gomoa West into one of the most developed and attractive constituencies in the Central Region remains one of his key priorities.
He assured constituents of his commitment to fulfilling his major campaign promises before the end of his tenure and appealed for continuous support and cooperation from residents to enable him to implement more developmental projects across the constituency.
Story by Yaw Boagyan
