COVID-19 : Hospital closed down for Issuing FCFA 6 Million bill to patient

Marie.O Polyclinic, a health structure located in Cameroon’s economic city-Douala, has been closed down, on instructions of the Public Health Minister, Dr. Manaouda Malachie.

Marie.O Polyclinic

The Divisional Officer for Wouri, Benjamin Mboutou, sealed the premises of the clinic in the Bali neighborhood, on May 14 , 3 days after the death of a purported COVID-19 patient was reported.

Benjamin Mboutou, DO for Wouri

According to a tweet by the Public Health Minister, the hospital had been issued a query relative to the issuance of a-6million-hospital bill to the family of the late patient, but no response has been received.

 

The FCFA 6 million bill

Since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Cameroon on March 6,  government announced free treatment   for COVID-19 patients . This includes screening, feeding, hospital bills and complete treatment.

Besides issuing such an exorbitant bill, Marie.O Polyclinique has reportedly flouted one of the provisions of the recently created Special COVID-19 centres in Cameroon.

Marie.O is not authorized to offer health care services to COVID-19 patients.

The Public Health Minister’s release of May 13, states that the hospital administration has violated decree number 041/CAB/ PM of April 20 on the creation and functioning of the special COVID-19 Centres.

The Minister’s release on the closure of the hospital facility

Marie.O Polyclinic is not authorized to provide health care to COVID-19 patients, but one of the hospital’s medical doctors , Dr. Ngoulla K. Roger says the patient had been referred to the Laquintinine hospital which was saturated.

COVID-19 : Scandal ensues  patient’s death

The patient reported to have died from COVID-19 is Mr. Nyamsi Maurice, said to be in his seventies.

Hospital officials report that he died of  COVID-19, but his children say their dad did not suffer from the respiratory disease.

In a video report circulating on social media, the late man’s children explain that their father has suffered 4 strokes, and received medical follow up at the Douala Military hospital.

He was admitted at the Marie.O Polyclinic on Thursday May 7, after payment of 250, 000frs as caution fee.

Another 750,000frs was paid the next day, but doctors did not let the children have access to their father while in hospital.

However,  one of his sons was informed that their father had been infected by the COVID-19, and asked to undertake a formal acknowledgement, but he denied.

According to one of the late man’s daughters, the family had received assurance from doctors that their dad was responding to treatment and will recover soon.

After spending four days in hospital away from his family , the late man’s children visited the hospital and mounted pressure on hospital staff to have access to their dad, but were asked to pay 1.7 million francs which they declined.

Then, the news of their father’s death was announced to them .

“The first doctor told us my father had died of COVID-19. A few minutes later, the doctor on call came and  said he was in a comma, but his heartbeat was on and off after reanimation”. Son of the late man

Hell broke loose when the family saw their father’s corpse, after four days of waiting . The children carried the lifeless body of their dad out of the hospital premises .

In a attempt to prevent their father from being subjected to the official  burial procedure for COVID-19 patients, the family of the dead man hired a taxi, and drove off with the body.

The forces of law and order immediately chased after the family, to recover the body of the late Mr. Nyamsi Maurice  for burial in respect of the  laid down norms.

And Dr. Ngoulla K. Roger says the family was not asked to make the 1.7 payment.

” I do not know how much the bill is, but I know the family has paid some money. There is a balance to be paid, but we have not asked them to pay 1.7 million”.

COVID-19 : One too many scandals

This is only one of the many scandals that have been reported following COVID-19 related deaths in Cameroon.

A few weeks ago, a medical doctor in Douala was beaten up by family members of a woman who died in a private clinic. Her family said she  suffered from hypertension, but according to doctors, she was infected by COVID-19 .

The family members said, no COVID-19 test had been run on their late mother. Reports have it that  the doctors had delayed attending to the woman, and she died .

Only last week, family members exhumed the corpse of a man who is also reported to have died of the COVID-19, for traditional rites and proper burial in the West region. But, they were intercepted by forces of law and order before they could  get out of the city.

This recent case has sparked widespread criticism of health care services in some hospitals in Cameroon. Many are of the opinion that health care practitioners in most private hospitals are more interested in filling their pockets, than saving the lives of patients.

In recent times, public health authorities have heavily sanctioned health care givers in such hospitals for the disregard of the ethics and deontology of the profession.

 

Kathy Neba Sina

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