By King Brown, sarwahking@gmail.com
BUCHANAN, Liberia-Patients seeking treatment at the Buchanan Government Hospital are having to cope with the increase in surgical and other fees at this facilities, raising alarm over the issue, but the Medical Director has been giving reason for the increase.
Due to what is seen as the exorbitant increases in surgical fees, patients and several of their relatives are urging the Ministry of Health (MOH) to intervene immediately.
Apart from the increase in surgical fees, others alleged that they have paid more than LR$6,000.00 dollars for medication; stressing that health personnel is charging exorbitantly for services that should be rendered for free.
This Health facility, which is situated 93 miles southeast of Monrovia, is the only government referral Hospital in the Grand Bassa area that is providing advanced health care delivery services to patients from neighbouring Margibi, Rivercess Counties.
Expressing their frustration at the weekend, the relatives who begged not to be named alleged that doctors at the public hospital nowadays are requesting over LR$ 10- thousand dollars for surgical services, which they said many of them are not able to afford.
According to them, it saddens for government employees to used public facilities to enrich themselves to the detriment of the already suffering population.
“We thought the hospital is for the government and intended to help people in the county but when people are sick especially in critical condition and rushed to the hospital, they will always send them to buy medicine and this hospital is meant to help we the poor people and should not be treated as a private Hospital”
“My friend was sick and we took her to the hospital, the doctors told us to pay LR 10,000 for surgery and LR$6,500.00 dollars for medicines, a situation that we could not handle in getting that amount.”
In response, the Medical Director of the Liberian Government Hospital here, Dr. Moses Weidehgar confirmed that it is true people are paying added money for surgical purposes.
Dr. Moses Weidehgar
But he told www.newspublictrust.com that it was agreed upon by the local county administration to make funding generated be revolving, because the government through the National Drug Service (NDS)is not providing the needed medicines and materials to enhance their workings when it comes to doing operations.
Dr. Weidehgar noted that all medical services being rendered at the facility are done free of charge except for surgery which relatives of the patients pay little over LR$8,000.00 to buy essential pills and materials to perform smooth operations and not to be pocketed by any health worker.
“Other government institutions today in Liberia like Redemption Hospital, JDJ, and others are free but have you been there? “It was agreed upon by local authority when I took over as Medical Director of the hospital, I met it in the system working and was not my own thing,” the Medical Director pointed out.
Dr. Weidehgar clarified that the allotment from the national government to the referral hospital in Grand Bassa County are potion in separate faces with a given period of usage without allotting a cent to the Operation room (OR) to buy surgical medicines and materials.
“The public is good at providing negative news about the hospital and not positive” I will not do anything that is not in line with Ministry Of Health policy, the Ministry is aware that in all government facilities across the nation there are problems and people are paying for surgery,” the Medical Director said.
Speaking further, Dr. Weidehgar said: “Medicines and Materials that we used to perform surgery are not supplied by government so, we need to replace it for other patients that will come for operation” It is a black lied for someone to buy L$6,000.00worthy of drugs.”