Gweru Provincial Hospital yesterday gave its discharged patients with unpaid bills an eight-hour ultimatum to settle their arrears or risk being sued as the public health institution seeks to recover over $500 000 owed in outstanding medical bills.
By Stephen Chadenga
In 2015, the Midlands provincial referral hospital engaged a private debt collector, Well Cash Debt Collectors, to recover outstanding amounts from patients who had left the hospital without paying.
The hospital has since sent text messages to patients with outstanding bills to pay up without further delay.
“You fail (sic) to pay your bills to Gweru Provincial Hospital, we are now processing court summons,” the text messages read.
“Pay within eight hours to avoid legal action.”
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The hospital’s medical superintendent, Fabian Mashingaidze could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Most government health institutions are struggling to recover large sums of money owed by discharged patients, a situation that has paralysed service delivery as the cash squeeze has lead to serious shortages of drugs and other amenities.