Afelete Apawu, 29, has been detained in the ward at the Ho Teaching Hospital for the past five months, as a result of his inability to settle a bill of GH¢ 8,081.30, after undergoing two surgical procedures for perforated intestines.
Apawu was admitted at the hospital on December 13, 2018, and discharged officially on February 18, 2019.
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He did not have a valid health insurance card at the time.
According to Madam Suzy Afenu, Nursing Officer-in-charge of the ward, a relative of the patient had contributed GH¢1, 500 towards the settlement of the bill, adding
“Apawu has remained in the ward since his discharge because of the debt he owes the hospital.”
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When the Ghanaian Times visited Apawu in the ward, he looked dejected and appealed for help from the general public to enable him to settle the bills and gain his freedom.
He said that his precarious situation had made it impossible for him to secure a job saying “I have been treated and discharged but I am still at the hospital and this is, indeed, terrible for me.”
Apawu, who used to work as a mobile money transfer agent, said that his father died some time ago and his mother was jobless and did not have the means to settle the bill for him.
Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh