Theoppy Ncube
BULAWAYO- A knock is heard by the door as single mother Sihle Ndlovu prepares to go to work and fend for newly born daughter. To her utmost shock she discovers a debt collector from Mpilo hospital telling her that he has been sent by the hospital to come and value her property because of unpaid maternity fees.

Ndlovu points out to the debt collector that she is still trying to raise money for the debt but to no avail as the messenger proceeds to start value her property.

It takes two to make a baby but in most cases its women who face the wrath for unpaid maternity bills as compared to their spouses who sometimes go unnoticed in such cases. Leaving women to constantly receive calls from hospitals and debt collectors in connection to unpaid bills.

Sihle Ndlovu, said that it was important for hospitals to also consider that it was not only women who need to be constantly reminded and pestered for unpaid maternity bills but their partners also.

“It’s unfair for the hospitals authorities to harass women only for unpaid hospital bill. Whenever they do follow up for the monies hospitals should take into consideration that women do not produce babies on their own, they are people who would have impregnated us and those people should be part of the bill settling process,” said Ndlovu.

Mpilo hospital has threatened to tighten screws on defaulters as the hospital sinks deeper and deeper into debts. So severe has been the cash-flow crisis at the hospital that it has threatened to send debt collectors on their patients that have not paid their bills.
Mpilo Central Hospital is owed $16 million by its clients, a development that has forced it to engage debt collectors in an effort to recover the funds.

Mpilo Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lawrence Mantiziba said that patients who were defaulting on bill payment were compromising service delivery in the hospital and thus the hospital had engaged debt collectors so as to recover money from patients.

“When people don’t pay it affects the running of the hospital; we won’t have money to buy drugs, laundry, it compromises the hospital that is why we are making a passionate plea to people to pay their bills. Without money how do patients get prompt attention of which we are aiming to do,” said Mantiziba.

He also pointed out that government had failed to deliver on their part of the deal as it had promised to give health institutions money but they had received far less from the government to support the hospital and improve service delivery.

“The government out of the 12 million set out in the budget it has given us $305 000 from its approved 1.5 million which is far short. We treat people then follow up through numerous channels and if we have exhausted all avenues we use the debt collectors,” said Mantiziba.
The hospital is one of the country’s referral centres but has been dogged by financial a constraint that has seen the institution’s performance spiralling down.

Mpilo’s financial woes are not peculiar. United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) and Ingutsheni Hospital in Bulawayo have also indicated that funds that were allocated to them in the 2014 national budget fall short of their operational expenses. UBH was allocated $1.5 million, but it has a $2.6 million debt while Ingutsheni was allocated $1.2 million and owes suppliers $1.1 million.

However promises by the government to rehabilitate the hospital have provide futile as government has in most cases disbursed less than the allocated funds to hospitals such as Mpilo.

In 2012, the facility only received $1.1 million out of the $4.1 million the Treasury had promised. In 2011 only $1 million was disbursed to the hospital out of the $4.4 million allocated in the national budget. At the time, Mpilo required about $12 million to meet its obligations. The government in the 2013 budget allocated $337 005 000 to health and child care.

Last year an article was published where patients were asked to bring their stocks of drugs and equipment at Mpilo Hospital are critically low as the hospital is failing to restock its pharmacy due to a lack of funds. Patients were referred to private pharmacies to buy the drugs and equipment, most of which should be provided free of charge by the hospital.

The hospital, whose standards have over the years deteriorated due to lack of funds, has seen patients opting for private surgeries and staying at home instead of seeking treatment.

Emmanuel Ndlovu, Programmes Manager at Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BUPRA) said that the system being practised by Mpilo hospital of sending debt collectors was a bit harsh and in most cases was frustrating to the patients who did not have resources but instead the hospital should scrap of some unnecessary expenses being charged to patients.

“The case of hospitals sending debt collectors to collect money from patients is unfair, some people were threatened with seizures of property for failing to pay their hospital bills considering that it is a government hospital it should be understanding and bear with the patients. Some policies and monies being charged by the hospitals need to be revised and scrapped off,” said Ndlovu.