The Western Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Yaw Ofori Yeboah, has assured that arrangements have been made to reimburse monies spent by victims of the Apiate explosion currently receiving treatment at health facilities in the Region.
According to the Health Director, the reimbursement is in compliance with a declaration by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia when he visited the victims, stating that government will bear the cost of their medical expenses.
“As you can imagine, in the early stage of the emergency, the focus was rightly on ensuring that blood and other critical life-saving items were mobilized for the injured. We are now collating expenditures from the various health facilities for immediate reimbursement.”
Dr. Yaw Ofori Yeboah
Dr. Yaw Ofori Yeboah indicated that the victims are receiving free treatments at various hospitals across the Region.
“Unfortunately, we ran out of some essential items such as orthopaedic plates and some drugs. Relatives of two of the cases we have attended to procured these items from private sources during the emergency.”
Dr. Yaw Ofori Yeboah
However, Dr. Yeboah stated that the regional health directorate has already directed the facility in charge to fully refund the expenditure incurred to the families and rather include them in the bills being collated for reimbursement.
Free Care
The Health Director iterated government’s decision to offer free care to the accident victims and stressed that all GHS facilities in the Region will continue to offer free care. According to him, some of the cases have either been discharged or stable in the hospitals.
“A health post has been set up at the internally displaced persons site at Bogoso to provide essential primary care. Psycho-social support has been arranged for the survivors and relatives. A team of ENT specialists have been sent to conduct hearing assessment. Disease surveillance activities are ongoing.”
Dr. Yaw Ofori Yeboah
The assurance by the Health Director that government will reimburse the paid hospital bills follows a complaint by a victim of the Apiate explosion of paying over GH¢11,000 medical bills despite a promise by the Vice President that government will absorb all the costs.
The victim was travelling to Wassa Akropong when the explosion occurred and sustained serious injuries resulting in an urgent surgery to save his situation.
The Public Relations Officer for the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Christian Baidoo, speaking on the issue expressed regret about the development.
Mr. Baidoo indicated that the hospital is poised to ensuring the directive of the Vice President is adhered to and if any victim has paid any money to the hospital, it will be refunded.
The PRO noted that some of the victims from the disaster in the hospital have not paid any money and it is the policy of the facility to take care of any patient before bills are provided.
“It is the policy of our hospital to take care of any patient before we issue them bills. We have victims from the Apiate disaster at the facility and I can tell you some of them have been treated without taking any monies from them.”
Christian Baidoo
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