Overcrowding in wards at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) has partly been attributed to indigent patients who are detained due to their inability to pay medical bills.
The President of the International Fellowship of Bishops and Apostles (IFOBA), Archbishop Julius Owusu Ansah, wants the government to consider establishing a support fund for such patients to alleviate the congestion and ensure quality healthcare delivery.
He noted that many patients suffer from “no bed syndrome” because they are detained after completing their treatment but cannot afford to pay their bills.
During the 10th anniversary celebration of IFOBA, the group visited KATH and paid medical bills for four maternity patients.
A senior midwife at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Aba Quainoo highlighted the challenges encountered by the hospital over patients’ inability to foot their bills.
Ms. Quainoo emphasised that patients discharged from the ward frequently struggle to connect with their families due to telephony challenges.
She stated that significant pressure and lack of access to beds in the labour ward have become problematic, causing the hospital to operate at a loss due to the resources they have consumed.
Meanwhile, the hospital’s Social Welfare Fund is actively negotiating effective payment plans with patients to ensure their financial needs are met.
She advises families to prepare and support the sickly relatives financially.
