In Shurugwi, residents and villagers have reportedly lost property that includes household furniture and chickens in the blitz by debt collectors engaged by the hospital.
“The stance taken by Shurugwi District Hospital is very unfair, they should have just reminded us that we should clear outstanding hospital bills instead of raiding us and attaching our property,” said Mrs Talent Shoniwa, who said her household property was attached last week over a $102 debt.
She said the hospital was owed the US$102 by her relative who was admitted to the institution for close to a month.
Mrs Shoniwa said the relative, whom she declined to name, had given the hospital her Sebanga residential address but was based in their rural home in Shurugwi’s Chachacha area.
“This relative was admitted to Shurugwi District Hospital but had to give details of my place of residence in Shurugwi town for convenience’s sake. There was no communication whatsoever from the hospital to notify us that my relative was owing the institution. We only saw debt collectors coming to attach my property,” she said.
Mr Nelson Kamuti of Mpakame Village, Shurugwi said the hospital’s debt collectors took away five chickens from his rural home.
“When they visited my home last week, the debt collectors only told me that I was owing the hospital about $50. What I don’t know now is whether the five chickens they managed to chase after and took away are equivalent to the amount owed or they will again come and attach more property,” he said.
An official at Shurugwi District Hospital confirmed that the institution engaged debt collectors to recover money owed by patients, but declined to give more details.
“It’s true we have engaged debt collectors to recover the money the hospital is owed by patients. The District Medical Officer, Dr Mudimu is not around and you can get in touch with the Provincial Medical Director, Dr Milton Chemhuru for an official comment,” said the official.
Dr Chemhuru confirmed that there were debt collectors engaged by Shurugwi District Hospital to recover money.
“What I can confirm is that we have debt collectors engaged in all the hospitals in the province but I am not sure whether the debt collectors at Shurugwi District Hospital are yet to embark on the exercise to recover money owed to the hospital or not. I will have to check with my DMO first,” he said.
Gweru Provincial Hospital, which is reportedly owed about $400 000 by patients, has started sending letters of final demand to debtors in a bid to recover the money.
The hospital’s Medical Superintendent, Dr Fabian Mashingaidze, confirmed that the hospital was making efforts to recover the money the institution was owed by patients.
He, however, refuted claims that the hospital was sending letters of final demand.
Dr Mashingaidze said the institution was only sending “reminders” to patients in arrears.
“As a matter of policy, the institution has since stopped engaging debt collectors to recover the money the institution is being owed by patients.
“At the moment patients owe the hospital about $400 000 in unpaid hospital bills and we are sending letters of demand,” he said.