Patients, including health insurance holders at Regina Caeli Hospital, a mission hospital owned and managed by the Catholic Church, have expressed outrage over the hospital’s new policy of charging utility bills to access healthcare services.
According to patients who spoke with our correspondent, the hospital now demands a payment of N1,000 per head for utility bills before providing medical services, regardless of whether the patient is an in-patient or out-patient. This is in addition to other medical bills.
Johnson Ebeh, a health insurance scheme holder, described the policy as “sad and exploitative.”
He said, “Health insurance holders cannot even get malaria medicine worth less than N2,000 from the hospital pharmacy because the hospital claims the scheme doesn’t cover it. Now, they’re forced to pay utility bills too.”
Patients have criticized the hospital’s management for shifting the responsibility of paying utility bills to them, arguing that it is part of the cost of services and should be included in the overall bill.
The hospital’s management has not responded to inquiries about the new policy, but patients are calling on the Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Revd Dr. Paulinus Ezeokafor, to intervene and address the situation.
Regina Caeli Hospital has provided medical services to the public for decades and is known for its quality services. However, patients feel that the new policy is a departure from the hospital’s founding vision of serving humanity.
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